


Curiosity Killed the Cat

by Deadlihood



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe- Mafia, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Crime Lord Junmyeon, F/M, Female Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 09:14:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 37,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15361182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deadlihood/pseuds/Deadlihood
Summary: But satisfaction brought it back.





	Curiosity Killed the Cat

The underworld called him the Ghost. He was so quiet and so deadly that it was rare a target ever escaped him alive. His footsteps nearly silent and his aim nearly perfect. But apparently his hearing was less than perfect. 

Minseok had been following him for about an hour, observing him from the shadows. It was the Ghost’s night off, apparently, and her boss had pointed him out at the club they’d met at. After Yifan had given her the next target, he’d disappeared into the crowd, leaving her to satisfy her curiosity about the Ghost.

For a criminal, he certainly seemed to be having a boring night. He’d had a few drinks alone at the club, rebuffing every advance made towards him, and now was walking home. Minseok wondered if the Ghost was going back to whatever hideout his gang kept. She’d always thought it impractical to live with a gang. Even with Jongdae to take care of, there was no way she’d ever live with Yifan or Junmyeon. It just wasn’t safe; cops busted in, everyone went down. At least separately there was a chance that one of them could get away.

Not that she was a high-level boss like Kris or Suho. She was just their favorite underdog, the cat burglar who hadn’t earned a name in the underworld yet but had a knack for theft. Stealing Suho’s watch the first time they’d met had convinced him that she was worth employing, and the money was good.

Minseok was quickly growing bored of following him on the rooftops and started looking for a way down to the ground. The ladder rattled slightly as she climbed down, but not enough to alert the Ghost, who seemed to be lost in thought. Carefully, from inside her jacket she drew her gun and crept towards him. He’d stopped to look at something on his phone when she caught up to him, her gun pressed against his spine. He was shorter than the rumors had made him seem.

“For a ghost, you seem pretty solid,” she said softly, holding onto his hip with her free hand. He had frozen up at the first tap of metal on his back, his whole body tensed.

“You a cop?” He asked in a casual tone.

“Just a passing alley cat. Wanted to see if I could sneak up on the famous Ghost.” She pressed herself a little closer, feeling the warmth of his body. “You might want to work on your hearing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He paused, his head tilting back towards her ever so slightly. “Are you going to shoot me or are we going to stand like this all night?”

“I could paralyze you, but that would be a waste of a great pair of legs, I think.” She let go of his hip and plucked the hoop earring out of his ear. “See you around, Ghost.” And with that, she took off. She was lucky she was fast enough to be around the corner by the time the shot pinged off the alley wall. Otherwise she would have had another bullet wound that Yifan would have to stitch up in his kitchen and the last one had left a nasty scar.

Her prize clutched tightly in her fist, she made for the rooftops again, hiding in the shadows of one of her favorite haunts to watch and listen. She didn’t want to risk a pissed off Ghost following her home. Jongdae had never seen a gun battle or seen what it was that his older sister did, and Minseok was going to keep it that way as long as she could.

An hour passed and the night started to turn to day, the shadows of night turning to the soft blue of early morning. If he was looking for her, he’d probably moved on by now. Still, she peeked over the edge of the building before making her way to the ground, and she watched her back every step of the way home.

By the time she made it back to the small apartment, she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and sleep for a few hours and rest her aching bones. Sitting out in the cold like that couldn’t have been good for her.

On her way to her bedroom, she opened Jongdae’s door a crack to check on him. All Minseok could recognize was the lump shaped like her little brother under the covers, the blankets moving up and down slowly as he breathed. Smiling slightly to herself, she shut the door quietly and moved on to her bedroom.

Stripping off the black clothes she wore for business off felt so good, but not nearly as good as slipping into the expensive sheets did. They’d been a gift from Yifan after the first big job she’d done for them. It would have been a creepy gift if it had come from Junmyeon. Yifan always seemed like a sweet older brother; Junmyeon looked at her like she was his next prospect sometimes. The fact that she carried a gun was probably a deterrent.

She was asleep before long, curled up in the nice sheets and her old quilt. In a few hours, it was Jongdae’s turn to peek in on his sister. He’d accepted that Minseok would rarely be home for dinner, and even more rarely home when he went to sleep, but that didn’t mean he didn’t worry about his big sister. He knew what it was that his sister did, had met both of her bosses. He knew what it was that was paying for his school and paid for the gifts that Minseok showered on him. Sometimes it bothered his conscience, but when he remembered what they had come from it didn’t bug him as much.

He left Minseok to sleep and got himself ready for school, leaving a note for his sister for when she woke up. It was their habit to leave notes for each other since they kept such different hours. By the time Jongdae was home from rehearsal, Minseok was gone for the night, off doing business for Yifan and Junmyeon. And when Minseok came home, Jongdae was resting for the next day.

Minseok woke up around noon with a missed call on her phone and a grumbling belly. She checked the number and recognized it was from Junmyeon. Ruffling her messy hair with one hand, she called him back.

“Did the sleeping princess finally wake up?” He asked when he finally picked up.

“Long night. What’s up?” She padded out into the kitchen to fix herself a cup of coffee. She’d have to settle for that until she could get off the phone with him and order some lunch.

“I’ve got the plans for the next one.”

“Yifan said he hadn’t gotten them yet.”

“He hadn’t. I got them in this morning. You’ll get a look at them tonight.”

“Yours, mine, or Yifan’s?”

“Mine. Wouldn’t want Dae to get involved.” As much as Junmyeon flirted with her sometimes, he was always respectful of her younger brother, and was careful to keep him in the dark. Minseok was sure it was so he couldn’t be manipulated into ratting on them, but she still appreciated it.

“Sounds good. I’ll be there.” She hung up with him and blew on the cup of coffee to cool it before gulping it down. All that exercise tracking the Ghost last night had worked up an appetite.

\--

“Tell me you’re kidding, Tennie,” Taeyong groaned.

“Believe me, for the sake of my pride I wish I was,” Ten replied, easing himself into the chair across from his boss. The fact that she’d snuck up on him had been bad enough, but the missing earring was just insult to injury.

“You’ve got a reputation to uphold, one that reflects on all of us. And a fucking “passing alley cat” snuck up on you?”

“She must be new. I’ve never heard of her before.” He leaned back in the chair, crossing his hands behind his head. “Don’t worry. She’s a minor blip.”

“You’re going to take care of it?” Taeyong rubbed his forehead, wishing he could shoot his own assassin. The Ghost was supposed to be infallible, not tracked by a rookie.

“Of course I am. I can’t have her running around bragging that she snuck up on the Ghost.” He pulled his gun from his jacket, admiring it in the light. “Just a quick shot between the eyes, and my reputation is good as new.”

“You better find her, and fast. Ask Taeil to help you, he’s good at finding women.”

“I want her dead, not fucked within an inch of her life.” Ten snorted. Taeil was good at finding women, and talking them into bed. He didn’t exactly have time to wait for Taeil to finish with her and then murder her.

“Might make it easier for you to get a hold of her.” Ten glared at him.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said tightly, replacing his gun in his jacket. The passing alley cat was going to wish she had never gone into that particular alley.

\--

It was raining by the time the taxi pulled up in front of the fancy apartment building Junmyeon lived in. She put her hood over her hair to keep herself dry as she hurried from the cab to the front door. The doorman knew her by now, probably knew most of Junmyeon’s associates that visited him at home. He gave her a passing wave as she went by.

Because Minseok was a regular enough visitor, Junmyeon had had a key card made for her so she could get onto his floor without him having to come down to the lobby and get her. It made her feel slightly more important, even though the black pants she was wearing were starting to fray at the hems.

Junmyeon lived in the penthouse apartment, which meant the elevator doors opened directly into his parlor. She wiped her boots on the mat before putting them in the shoe rack. Junmyeon was nothing if not hospitable, and there were usually slippers waiting by the door for any guests. She picked her favorite pair and padded out into the living room.

Junmyeon, better known to the underworld as Suho, was sitting at his coffee table with blueprints spread across it. His dyed steely-gray hair was swept carefully off his forehead, his ripped denim jacket at odds with the style. But this was Junmyeon at home, not Junmyeon at work. Minseok, with her chin-length black hair and fraying clothes, felt at odds with the penthouse, even if he was dressed down.

“Hello oppa,” Minseok said, sitting down in the armchair across from him. As she did, she took a deep breath and smelled gochujang. Her mouth watered instantly.

“Are you hungry? I ordered extra just in case. It’s from that place down the street that you like so much,” Junmyeon said, not looking up from his blueprints.

“You’re trying to butter me up for something, oppa.” She still went into the kitchen and selected the meat and rice she wanted to eat and brought it back to the living room.

“Delicate eater, aren’t you, Minnie?” He commented, watching her wolf down the food.

“You don’t pay me enough to afford this kind of food,” she muttered, continuing to work the chopsticks as fast as she could to get the food into her mouth.

“Darling, after this next job, you’ll have more money than you’ll need to send Dae to music school for the rest of his life.”

“It’s just diamonds. How big are they?”

He looked down meaningfully at the swell of her chest under her sweater. “Let’s just say I could give you diamond tits if I wanted.”

“You know I’m not a safecracker.”

“They aren’t in a safe. They’re on sale, so they’re in a locked briefcase.” He tapped the plans with one perfectly manicured nail. “Yifan’s sources are saying the briefcase is in the office, here.”

“How far off the ground? What security? And how am I going to get in without getting my head blown off?”

“Tenth floor. Security at the base of the tower, not much anywhere else. Sloppy, really. As for getting in, Kwon lives alone and he will conveniently be at a meeting with Yifan and me while you’re going in.”

“So I just need to be able to pick a couple locks, and I’m in? What’s the catch?”

“No catch. Sloppy security and over-confidence makes an easy picking.” He paused, looking at her carefully. “Are you scared, kitten?” She tried to not openly scowl at the pet name.

“I die, Jongdae is on his own. And I don’t particularly feel like getting shot for some diamonds.” She got up to throw away her trash in the kitchen and wash her hands.

“You know Yifan-hyung and I would help him if you died.”

Minseok examined him for a moment. “Would you really, Junmyeon? I’m just your cat burglar.”

“What can I say, I love an underdog.” He leaned back and lit himself a cigarette. “Besides, you’re a skilled thief and you’re nice to look at. What’s not to like?”

“Thanks, oppa,” she muttered, trying to make herself relax. Maybe it would be this easy. But she was going heavily armed. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, revealing the hoop she’d stolen from the Ghost. She was wearing it as a trophy.

“You lost an earring, kitten,” he commented as he got up to pour himself a drink. The cigarette smoke trailed behind him, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust.

“No. There’s only one, for now.” He turned to look at her, blowing out a puff of smoke as he did.

“What?”

“Yifan met me at a club last night and he pointed out the Ghost to me. I followed him, caught him by surprise, and I took his earring.”

“You, caught the Ghost by surprise,” Junmyeon said slowly.

“For someone with a near perfect kill rate, he doesn’t listen very well.”

“You could have gotten shot, Minseok.”

“But I didn’t. The only one who had their gun drawn was me.”

“You still risked everything by going after him. And without telling anyone. What about Jongdae?”

“I’d been following him for an hour and he still hadn’t noticed me. It was safe.” Still, his words reminded her just how reckless she’d been in trying to take him on.

“Kitten, you’re going to give me gray hairs.”

“I thought that was the point of this dye job, oppa.”

He snorted, the first sign that he wasn’t absolutely furious with her. “Promise me if you see him again, you run. I don’t want to have to get used to a new burglar.”

“Fine, fine.” She accepted the drink he passed her, smiling when she saw how little her glass was filled in comparison to his. For their reputation and her lowliness, Suho and Kris had always been kind to her, fond of her. Her skill had endeared her to them, and her smart mouth had kept her around.

“To a successful job,” Junmyeon toasted. She raised her glass and downed it, wincing at the flavor of the Scotch. He always liked his fancy ass whiskey. He laughed at her face.

“Do you want some milk instead?”

“Don’t test me, oppa.” She set the glass down on the table with a clink. “Can I take these home with me?”

“Go ahead, kitten.” He watched her as she rolled the plans up and slipped them back into their protective tube. “You’ve filled out.”

Her head shot up and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you looking at my ass?”

“It’s there.” He shrugged. “But you’ve gained some weight.”

“From anyone else, that would be an insult.” She straightened up, capping the protective tube. “You and Yifan-oppa saved us. You know that.” She and Jongdae would have starved without them.

“I do.” He stood up, towering over her. “Now give me a kiss and go home and sleep. You’ll have a long night tomorrow.”

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek but he shied away. “Oh. That’s what you want.” It wouldn’t have been the first time, but she did her best to keep her heart out of her business dealings with them. So she rested her hands on the lapels of his jacket and kissed him on the mouth. It was fast and a little painful when he kissed her back, but he released her quickly.

“Come back here with the diamonds when you have them,” he said, slipping straight back into business mode.

“Will do.” She picked up the tube and put her boots back in. As she was relacing them, the elevator door opened and a beautiful woman stepped out. She could have been a model or an idol, she was so perfect. She glanced at Minseok, her eyes flicking from her hair to the holey shirt and fraying pants. A slight smirk crossed her face and then she sashayed past Minseok into the living room.

One of Junmyeon’s many women. Minseok’s mouth burned as she got back into the elevator. She didn’t know why he asked her for things like this if he could have any woman he wanted. Maybe it was some way of asserting his dominance over her. Whatever it was, she would prefer if he stopped.

\--

Every step of getting onto the tenth floor felt too easy. She’d slipped in with a crowd of young people coming in at the same time, hiding herself amidst them. From there, she took the elevator to the tenth floor. There had been someone in the hallway while she examined the door to the apartment, so she pretended to be checking her phone. The blonde wig she was wearing was starting to irritate her, but Yifan had taught her early on to confuse the security cameras. So she brushed the fibers out of her eyes and checked the information on her phone. Yifan was going to have the power cut in just a few minutes so that she could pick the lock and make her way out in protective darkness.

The person in the hallway got into the elevator and she palmed the lock pick in her pocket. The lights flickered and went out. “He’s early,” she muttered, kneeling to get to work. It was a nice apartment building and the lock took some work, especially with her palms sweating as much as they were. She hated break in jobs. It was much easier to slide through windows, to pick pocket, to mug. But with tonight’s weather and the light on the outside of the building, it was safer to go through the door.

Finally the lock opened for her and she slipped inside, pulling on her gloves tighter as she went. She flicked on the black light to help her see in the darkened apartment. It would also help her see if there were any tripwires or booby traps lurking in the shadows.

But everything was easy. She just walked to the office and held the blacklight between her chin and her shoulder as she picked the lock. The interior lock was much easier to get into. She carefully sidestepped the glowing stain on the carpet, hoping to God it was blood, and searched the office quickly. The briefcase was under the desk. She didn’t have time to open the combination locks and check for the diamonds inside, but there was something in there definitely.

“Perfect.” She needed to find the staircase in the rabbit’s warren of hallways, and then she’d be home free. She hoped that the diamonds were in there, or else all this stress would be for nothing.

She closed the office door quietly behind her and turned to find herself chest to chest with a man.

“Shit,” she muttered.

“What are you stealing?” The voice was familiar but not enough for her to place.

“Why are you here?” She asked instead.

“I asked you first.”

“What, are you a child?” She scoffed, flicking the black light back on. Her heart dropped into her chest when she realized it was the Ghost she was standing next to. He had never seen her face, but the single earring peeking out from the wig was enough to give her away.

“We meet again, alley cat.” He hadn’t gone for his gun yet, which meant Minseok wasn’t a murder victim just yet. She edged to the side and he let her do it, rotating with her as she did.

“Just business, Ghost.”

“Your business is infringing on my business. You see, I have a reputation to keep.”

“And I have a package to deliver.” She pulled her gun just as he did and for a moment they stood there, guns pointed at each other’s faces.

“You came for the diamonds.” His tone was conversational.

“I did. You came for Kwon?”

“Someone puts out a hit and wants it done right, they come to me.”

“It seems like we both have jobs we need to do tonight. So why don’t we just go our separate ways and deal with your reputation another night?”

“I don’t think I can let you do that.”

“You’re going to disappoint my bosses. And usually when people disappoint them, they end up in a river.”

“Who do you work for?”

“Kris and Suho.” She watched as his face visibly blanched. Clearly she worked for someone bigger than he did. She eased herself towards the living room, watching him carefully with every backwards step she took. But she made a mistake, turning her back on him to open the door. He had a silencer on her gun and she didn’t even hear it when he fired a bullet into her side. She felt it bury itself in her flesh and the searing pain that came with it. Still, she forced herself to get out and run for the stairs before he could take another shot.

As she ran away, Ten cursed himself for not taking the clean, easy headshot he had. Taeyong was going to kill him.

\--

As she sat in the back of the cab, her head lolling against the seat, Minseok was very glad she’d chosen this thick sweater to wear today. It was soaking up the blood leaking steadily out of her side. She didn’t know why the Ghost hadn’t killed her. He seemed dead set on making sure she couldn’t ruin his infallible reputation, but he hadn’t shot her in the head. He’d had a clear enough shot to do it.

She decided not to think too hard about it, as it was making her woozy. She paid the cab driver and got out, holding her side with one hand and the briefcase with the other. She could feel the warm wetness of her own blood under her fingers and her stomach turned. The sooner she got inside, the sooner she could get the bullet out and get patched up.

The elevator ride felt like an eternity. She didn’t have a particularly high pain tolerance and she had to lean up against the wall to keep upright. By the time she made it to Junmyeon’s penthouse she was sobbing heavily from the pain.

The ding of the elevator had brought Junmyeon and Yifan to attention. They were expecting their triumphant burglar to come striding in with the briefcase. What they got instead was their blanched, bloody burglar stumbling in.

“What happened?” Yifan asked, seeing how she was holding her side.

“Got shot again,” she groaned out, thrusting the briefcase into Junmyeon’s hands. She knew he wouldn’t want her bleeding on his floor, so she went into the kitchen to find a rag while they worked on opening the briefcase. She sat down on the kitchen floor, the rag pressed to her side, and waited. As fond as they were of her, their first priority was the job. They would want to make sure the diamonds were in the case.

She heard a slight hissing noise and then the clatter of the briefcase lid being discarded on the floor. Junmyeon’s triumphant whoop told her she hadn’t gotten shot for nothing and the diamonds were in fact inside the case. She managed a small smile to herself then let her face go slack again. She thought she’d be better prepared for getting shot, having experienced it once before. But apparently it never got easier.

The chatter in the living room cut off and two sets of footsteps came towards her. She opened her eyes and let them haul her up and over to the table. They laid her across the top of it and pulled up the edge of her sweater to see the wound.

“It’s not that deep, you’ll be all right,” Yifan said, his deep voice comforting as he went for the small kit Junmyeon kept in his apartment just for this kind of thing.

“You did it, Minseok,” Junmyeon crooned, pulling the wig off her head. “You and Jongdae are going to be rolling in money.”

“If I don’t end up dead first. The Ghost was there, he shot me,” Minseok muttered. His comforting hand stilled in her hair.

“He followed you?”

“No. He was waiting for Kwon. I’m not sure if he stuck around.”

Yifan came back with the kit and got to work cleaning the wound. She hissed at the alcohol hitting her skin, but stayed still, holding onto the edge of the table to brace herself. Not like she could have moved anyway: as soon as Yifan started to dig out the bullet, Junmyeon tightened his grip on her, keeping her still. He alternated between holding her down and pouring soju down her throat to dull the pain as Yifan worked. Yifan’s level head and steady hands made him the better candidate to dig a bullet out, but his stitches left something to be desired. By the time he was done, Minseok was an exhausted, bloody mess, her head half hanging off the table as she tried to catch her breath.

“At least let me see the diamonds.” She managed to say finally, easing herself into a sitting position on the table. The soju had started to work on her and she was a little fuzzy headed.

“First you take off that bloody sweater before you get blood on my floors.” Junmyeon waited as she peeled the sweater off and he dumped it straight into the trash. She was a little uncomfortable about being in just her bra around her bosses. The ache in her side kept her from covering her small chest with her arms, opting to just stumble after them.

She followed them into the living room, where the briefcase was still sitting open. The gasp that slipped out of her mouth was unintentional; she had never seen diamonds so big. Each one was about the size of her fist.

“Wow.” She held one up to the light to see the way it refracted. “These are definitely worth getting shot over.”

“You did very well, Minseok,” Yifan said, patting her shoulder gently. “When we sell these, you’ll get a cut.”

“Thank you, oppa.” Even if she only got a small cut of the sale, it would be more than enough to get Jongdae set. Her mind started to race in anticipation of the money: she could get Jongdae’s school paid off, maybe even get her brother an apartment of his own so he didn’t have to live with her. Jongdae’s future was well worth the bullet in her side.

“You look exhausted, and there’s no way you’re getting home like this.” Junmyeon broke Minseok out of her planning. “You can stay here for the night, sleep it off.”

“I didn’t think you’d want me getting blood on your couch.” Minseok didn’t even like sitting on his couch. The light suede terrified her, especially with how fastidious he was about his clothes and his home.

“You can sleep in the bed, Minnie.” Junmyeon looked at her like she was stupid. “I have more than one place.” Minseok blamed it on the alcohol and adrenaline fuzzing her brain; of course people like Junmyeon and Yifan would keep more than one residence.

“Thank you. I think I’ll go…clean up.” She gestured vaguely at her bloody torso. Yifan had bandaged her midsection to keep the stitches covered, but she wanted to get the stickiness off her.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Yifan said to Junmyeon, transferring the diamonds to his own briefcase. “Good night.”

“Good night oppa,” Minseok called faintly after him, watching his retreating back on the way to the elevators. The soju was definitely making her dizzy and she teetered more than walked to the bathroom. With a washcloth Junmyeon had brought for her, she wiped the blood and sweat off her body until she felt less sticky and more like a regular human again.

When she finally looked up from her work, she realized Junmyeon had followed her to the bathroom and was leaning against the door, watching her.

“Can I ask you a question?” She asked, watching him in the mirror as she dried her hands on the rag. He gestured for her to go ahead. “Why are you so nice to me? I mean, I’m a low-level thief. Not exactly the type of person who should be spending the night in a penthouse.”

“Minseok, you just stole two of the biggest diamonds in the world for me and got shot for it. I think I can spare a bed for you tonight.”

“It was too easy.” She finally voiced her fears. “If it weren’t for the Ghost, I would have been in and out in just a few minutes. No security, nothing more than basic locks. If I was selling two huge diamonds, I wouldn’t have them out in a briefcase. I’d keep them in a safe, like Yifan-oppa is going to.”

“You worry too much. We checked it out thoroughly before we sent you in. Kwon is sloppy and overconfident. He thinks no one would dare try to get them from him. But we did. And now we have them.”

“All right.” She dropped the rag into the trash, turning to face him. “Do you have anything I can wear to sleep in?”

“I should have something.” He looped one arm around her waist, his hand burning a print into her skin, and led her to the bedroom. He settled her on the bed, seeming to recognize that she was a little more than drunk, and pulled out a pair of regular work out shorts and a t-shirt for her. She stared at them in surprise for a moment before pulling the t-shirt over her head.

“Somehow I didn’t expect you to wear normal pajamas,” she said, wiggling her jeans off. At this point, she didn’t even care that her boss was staring at her legs; she just wanted to be comfortable. “I was expecting something silk and polka-dotted.”

“Do you think about me in bed often?” It sounded like a joke, but when she looked up at him he wasn’t smiling.

“No, no, no, we’re not doing this now.”

“We’re not doing what now?” His voice had gotten that deep rasp to it that made her go cross-eyed. He never talked to her like that, but when she had heard it, it drove her a little nuts.

“We are not talking about sex right now. I am _wrecked_.” This was why she never drank. She had the alcohol tolerance of a toddler.

“Minseok, look at me.” His voice was commanding enough that she obeyed him, focusing her eyes on his face. “The day I get you into bed, there won’t be any blood involved. Unless you’re into that.”

“Can’t say that I am.” Her brain had effectively fled the building and she could not believe what they were talking about. “I really do not understand you. I’m not exactly your type.”

“Pretty girls are my type. Especially a girl who can steal diamonds worth billions of won.” He leaned down over her and gave her another one of those fast and brutal kisses before letting go of her. “Sleep well, Minseok.”

She had a feeling she wouldn’t sleep at all that night. The thought of having sex with one of Korea’s biggest crime lords had made her pretty awake.

\--

Halfway across the city, Ten was lying awake too. He’d returned to the apartment to wait for another night to kill Kwon, telling Taeyong only that he’d gotten the lay of the land before heading for his room.

Why hadn’t he shot her? The cat had been out of the bag, so to speak. She’d turned her back on him and exposed herself. He could have shot her perfectly in the back of the head. But he hadn’t been able to do it. He’d given her barely more than a scratch and she’d fled with billion won diamonds. He’d let a target go. He never did that.

Maybe he was starting to lose his touch. Maybe years of being an assassin had started to catch up with him and he was starting to go soft.

But she did work for Kris and Suho. Someone like that, with such high-level bosses, maybe it was better not to risk incurring their wrath. They would wipe all of them out. They were not the kind of men to just take their revenge on one man. No, they would kill Taeyong and Taeil and Jaehyun and Dongyoung and Mark and Johnny, and they would be satisfied then, when all of them were dead.

The cat would have to stay safe, the coddled pet of crime lords, and his reputation would have to take the hit. He reached up and touched his left earlobe, remembering how gently she’d taken his earring. He’d replaced it with a new pair, but he still felt the loss. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him either, although she could have easily killed him and taken up his mantle.

With a snort, he rolled over and punched his pillow into a more comfortable position. All he was doing was going around in circles and annoying himself. He needed to get some sleep and reevaluate himself in the morning. He’d have to talk to Johnny about this in the morning when he got home.

\--

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Jongdae said accusingly, looking at his sister across the table. Something was wrong. Minseok was never this pale and tired, although she was rarely awake at this time of the day.

Minseok spread her arms questioningly, trying not to wince when it pulled on her stitches. She’d spent a restless night in Junmyeon’s penthouse before going home and forcing Jongdae out to lunch with her. “I’m fine, Dae. Don’t worry.”

“You didn’t come home until this morning. You never stay out all night.” Jongdae lowered his voice, leaning closer to his sister. “Did you have a job last night?”

“I did.” Minseok reached out and took her brother’s hand. “Jongdae, we’re going to be okay. We’re going to be better than okay. Soon, I’ll be able to pay off more of your school and maybe even get you your own place.”

“Minseok, what did you do?”

“That’s not important. But I’ve got it on good authority that pretty soon we’ll be moving up in the world.” She took a sip of her tea, wishing it could take away the ache in her head. She hated soju with a passion.

Jongdae looked at his sister with sharp eyes, examining her carefully. It was a warm day after last night’s rain, but she was still wearing a jacket. Every movement of her body seemed to hurt, even if she was trying to hide it. “Someone gave you a sting again, didn’t they.”

Minseok understood exactly what her brother meant and sighed, setting down her tea. “I did get a sting. Not a bad one. Oppa took care of it.”

“Minseok…” Jongdae shook his head. “Noona, it’s not worth you getting killed.”

“I’m doing this for you. And it’s barely a sting. Not worth worrying about.”

“Don’t downplay it. This is the second time.”

“Do you remember what we came from, Jongdae?” She pointed across the street to the woman begging with her child. They held upturned palms towards the pedestrians, getting nothing but a few coins every now and then. “I pulled us out of that. I did that, so that you could be a singer. Do not lecture me on the details of it.”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. It’s that I would rather be poor, with a sister, than be rich and alone.” He sighed, checking the time. “I have to go. I’ll see you at home, maybe.” He finished the last of her tea and left Minseok sitting alone at the table.

She rubbed her face tiredly. It had been a long night that was turning into an even longer day. Maybe it was better to go home and rest than try to be out and awake, like a normal person. As she was sitting there with her head in one hand, she heard the screech of the chair being pulled back. Peeking between her fingers, she recognized the man sitting across from her.

“I really do not have the time for you today,” she said, looking at the Ghost.

“You’re the only person to meet me twice and not be dead. You should be honored.” He was puffing himself up, she could tell. She glanced around the patio and spotted the man watching them. He was tall, muscled arms peeking out from under his shirt sleeves, fashionably dyed brown hair swept out of his eyes. He was watching them too intently to just be there having tea on a warm afternoon.

“I’m honored, but also sore and tired, so if you want to shoot me again, we could just get this over with.” She inclined her head towards the tall man. “Or is your friend going to do it from over there?”

He chuckled, surprised she had even noticed him. “You are a smart little cat.”

“Observant. It’s what’s kept me alive.”

“Your bosses probably help.”

“Oh, is that why you haven’t killed me yet?”

“No.” He seemed to deflate a little. “I don’t know why I haven’t yet.”

“You’re worried about your reputation, and I’ve only told one person that I got the drop on you.”

“Word spreads faster than you think.”

“No, I think he’s going to keep it to himself. Besides, I’m not a killer. I’m just a thief.” It occurred to her that she was bargaining, but she really didn’t want to die.

“What’s your name?” She raised an eyebrow. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

“Minseok.”

“I’m Ten.”

“I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you, but considering you shot me, I don’t think it is.”

“I could have shot you in the head. But I didn’t.”

“Because you know Suho and Kris would kill your whole gang and dump you in a river. I know who you work for. Taeyong isn’t going to be able to protect you if you kill me. So let’s stop pretending that you’re going to actually kill me.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling the headache forming between her eyes.

“Why did you follow me that night?”

She wondered what kind of thought process he had that he could keep jumping topics like this. “I was curious about you.”

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

“But satisfaction brought it back. And as we can see, I’m not dead yet.” She checked her phone to see the time. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have a nap that I can’t keep putting off. Try not to shoot me this time.” She got up and walked away, making eye contact with the tall man as she did. She sure as hell couldn’t go home, not with the two of them lurking about, which left only one place. She hoped Junmyeon wasn’t in the middle of something in the penthouse because she needed to sleep.

By the time she got to the building, she was yawning so much her eyes were watering. She could already picture herself on the cushy mattress, curled up peacefully. Sleep sounded so beautiful after the trying afternoon she’d had.

No one seemed to be home when she came in and she thanked her lucky stars. She took off her shoes and hung up her jacket before padding into the bedroom. She didn’t feel like getting under the covers, so she just curled up on top, padding her body and head with the down pillows.

She was nearly asleep when she heard the bathroom door open and her eyes shot open. She bolted upright, hissing when it pulled at her stitches, to find Junmyeon standing in the door of his bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else on.

“Oh, Christ,” Minseok muttered, quickly averting her eyes.

“Well, this is a surprise,” was all he said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think you were home.” She rolled off the bed and got to her feet. “I’ll go, I’m sorry.”

“Why did you come back here? I know you left this morning.” He followed her into the living room as she scrambled to get her things.

“I needed a place to sleep. The Ghost showed up where I was having lunch and I didn’t want him following me.”

“He saw you?”

“He talked to me. Sat down at the table and talked to me.”

“About what?”

“About why he hasn’t killed me mostly. He knows I work for you and he won’t risk having his whole gang wiped out over me, and for the love of God can you please put on some clothes?”

“Am I distracting you?” He crossed his arms over his chest and she was sure she saw the towel slide a little down his hips.

“Oppa.” Her tone must have sounded pleading enough because he huffed and went into the bedroom. She knew the conversation wasn’t over, so she abandoned her shoes and settled into the armchair. She had just wanted a nap. Now she had seen more of the man she worked for than she ever thought she wanted to.

He came back a few minutes later with a pair of his black trousers on and an unbuttoned shirt. It was only marginally better than the towel. “So the Ghost showed himself in daylight.”

“Him and another member of his gang. Tall, good-looking.”

“Interesting.” He crossed his arms behind his head. She watched as his abdomen stretched with the movement and wished she’d risked going home so she wouldn’t be sitting here salivating. “The Ghost seems very interested in you.”

“Ten. He told me his name.”

“He may just have a crush on you, kitten.”

She snorted. “I doubt it. He knows what you and Yifan-oppa are like about the people who work with you. He can’t kill me, so he may as well make friends, get in good with you.”

“We could use him.” He considered it for a moment. “An assassin like that could be useful.”

“He seems loyal to his gang though.”

“Seven extra hands.” He leaned forward to grab the cigarette pack off the table. “I’ll have someone look into them, see if they’d be useful to have around. In the meantime, I think you need to stay here.” He lit the cigarette, blowing out a long plume of smoke.

“Why?”

“Because Kwon is going to be looking for you. The diamonds are gone and he’ll be looking for the person who took them. You’re on the security footage.”

“What about Jongdae? He can’t be there alone.”

“I’ll send someone to look after him. The most important thing right now is that no one traces you back to us. As long as you’re unknown, we’re all safe. Not that Kwon will be a threat much longer if the Ghost is after him.”

“All right.” She rubbed her face tiredly. “Is it okay if I go sleep now?”

“This will have to be your home for the next few days, so feel free.” She gratefully headed for the bed, reclaiming her place in it and falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Out in the living room, Junmyeon smoked his cigarette and made a few phone calls. Taeyong wouldn’t be hard to find, and he wasn’t going to refuse a meeting. It was just a matter if he and his little merry band would be of any use to him.

\--

“Feel better?” Johnny asked as Ten rejoined him. He’d watched the girl leave the restaurant a few minutes earlier, noting her ratty clothes and sharp eyes. She worked for some of the richest men in Korea, but she dressed like a messy student. He wondered if it wasn’t a way to keep people from looking at her.

“Not really.” Ten blew out a breath, pushing his hand through his hair. “She knows who I am and knows I won’t actually hurt her. She says she only told one person about what happened.”

“She could have spread it everywhere.”

“She could have.” Ten chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. “Her name is Minseok.”

“You asked or she told you?”

“I asked. Couldn’t keep calling her the alley cat.”

“You are seriously fucked up, man.” Johnny slung his arm around Ten’s shoulders, turning him to leave. “But everything’s fine. You won’t shoot her, she won’t tell. All you have to do is finish your job from the other night and it’s all good.”

Ten smiled at him. “I’m glad you’re back. Things were getting screwy without you.” Johnny had been in Japan on a job with Dongyoung and he’d missed them both.

“Well they always do, don’t they? Mark loses his mind, Taeil disappears into a brothel for three days, and Taeyong and Jaehyun go to a motel and don’t come out.”

Ten laughed, feeling his spirits rise already. Johnny wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t seen Taeil in a while and he was sure he knew where he was. “Come on, let’s go get a drink.”

They went to one of their favorite bars and settled into one of the back booths with their beers. They both preferred to be mostly out of sight but in a position to watch the rest of the room. Not like there were many people inside; it was a beautiful day outside and it was the middle of the afternoon. Most people wouldn’t show up until later in the evening.

“What kind of woman can work so closely with Suho and Kris?” Johnny asked, peeling the label off his bottle absentmindedly.

“She’s a thief, and a good one at that probably. They must trust her.” Ten shrugged. “I wonder if she’s one of Suho’s women. He’s worse than Taeil, I’ve heard.”

“Much worse than Tae.” Johnny laughed. “He’s got a lot of women around, but I doubt he’d sleep with someone who works with him.”

“She seemed pretty convinced that he wouldn’t let her die without someone being punished.” He quirked his mouth to one side. “I wonder if I’m going to get my ass beat for shooting her.”

“She looked fine to me.”

“She saw you, by the way.”

“And? Not like she didn’t know you were in a gang.” Johnny pushed his hair back out of his eyes. “You worry too much, Tennie.”

“Because I don’t want anyone to die because of me.”

Johnny dropped a gentle kiss behind his ear. “No one’s going to die. Everyone will be fine. Just forget about the Cat.”

“You’re right.” Ten took a deep breath, holding up his beer bottle. “To moving on.”

“To moving on.” They clinked the bottom of the bottles together and drank deeply.

Johnny was right. Minseok didn’t want to deal with him anymore than he wanted to deal with her. All he had to do was finish his job with Kwon and everything would be fine.

\--

Minseok woke up in a dark room feeling only marginally better rested. She’d dreamed of someone tattooing her back from shoulders to pelvis. At the very end she’d been allowed to look at it and saw a giant dragon stretching across her back, its yawning mouth positioned on her left shoulder.

She was sure it had to do with sleeping in Junmyeon’s bed and last night’s conversation. She didn’t want to be his kept woman like everyone else, and their business relationship would certainly be shot if they slept together. But he’d been flirting with her for ages and she was starting to lose her tight grip on herself. Pretty soon she wouldn’t be able to fend off his advances anymore.

When she wandered into the living room, he was scribbling something onto the small notebook he kept in his jacket pocket, the radio playing softly in the background.

“About time you woke up. Dinner’s almost here,” he commented, not even looking up from his work.

“I had a long night, oppa.” She padded past him to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. She guzzled it down and rinsed out the glass before putting it to dry on the rack. For a place that wasn’t constantly occupied, the penthouse had all the comforts and appearances of living. But maybe that was part of Junmyeon’s façade: he had business meetings here, and if people believed he lived there, maybe they wouldn’t look for him in his other places.

“How are you feeling?”

“Stitches are sore, but I’m all right.” She curled herself into the armchair, watching him finish writing in his notebook. For as fast as he wrote, his handwriting was always neat and precise. When he was finished with whatever note he had made to himself, he tucked the notebook away in the pocket of his jacket.

“I got a phone call from Kwon earlier, asking if I’d heard anything about the diamonds.” He snickered. “He’s about to breathe fire, he’s so mad.”

“Well let’s hope he doesn’t breathe fire at us. Did you send someone to check on Jongdae?” She wished she’d called her brother to tell him someone was coming by.

“Jongdae’s safe, I’ve got someone watching the apartment to make sure he gets in and out all right.” The elevator dinged and he shooed her into the kitchen while he picked up the food.

“I can’t even be seen by delivery boys?” She asked when she was allowed to come out of the kitchen.

“They could be working for someone, you never know. Until Kwon is dead, we can’t have you seen by anybody.”

“Well hopefully my friend the Ghost will do his job.” As they sat down, she realized she had never eaten with one of her bosses. She had had drinks with them, had eaten in front of them, but had never shared a meal. It seemed uncomfortably intimate, especially in this circumstance. She felt like she was on a date and considering how close she was to letting him coax her into bed, that was dangerous.

It was a fairly quiet dinner. She didn’t feel like talking and he seemed lost in his own thoughts. Any speaking was just a simple “pass me that” and nothing else. She hoped it would stay like that until the bottle of soju came out and he poured them both a drink.

“I don’t think I can have any more of this,” she said, accepting the glass from him. “Too much of it last night.”

“It’ll get you to relax. You’re stiff as a board.” She hesitated for a moment, but she couldn’t reject the glass of soju, not from an elder and certainly not from her boss. So she turned away and covered her mouth and the glass with her hand and drank it down. He watched as she did it, drinking his own glass. Thankfully, he didn’t pour her another glass, just stood there watching for a moment. She felt like a bug under a microscope.

“Thank you for dinner, oppa,” she said to break the silence.

“You’re welcome. Let me check your stitches, kitten. When I checked on you, you were moving a lot in your sleep.”

“I think they’re all right.” She still obeyed and pulled up the edge of her shirt to let him check the line of stitches Yifan had left. He peeled the bandage back carefully and inspected the wound. She could feel the heat of his breath on her side and goosebumps sprung up on her skin.

“They’re fine, but I’m going to change the dressing.” He peeled the rest of the tape off and left her standing there, half exposed, while he found the medical kit. Then he bandaged her back up, smoothing the tape over her belly. He let his hand linger on her stomach for a moment before he straightened up. Minseok let her shirt dropping, hoping her face wasn’t as red as it felt. She had tried to deny her attraction to Junmyeon for a long time.

The day they’d met, in the restaurant where she used to waitress, she had thought he was one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen. Then she’d stolen his watch. It was only during his meal that one of her coworkers had told her who he was. She’d been scared, of course, but she’d wanted to return the watch rather than have him figure out she had taken it.

So she’d slipped it back with his bill. He noticed almost immediately that she’d returned it and waited outside the restaurant after her shift. Yifan had joined him by the time she had come out. Junmyeon had asked if she was interested in doing a job for him, and two years later, she was staying in his penthouse trying desperately not to fuck him.

“Are you all right, Minseok?” He was still standing behind her, close enough that she could feel the heat of his body. She knew her voice would give her away, so she just nodded. His hand landed on her hip, the warmth of it searing through her clothes. If he hadn’t been holding her, she would have jumped when she felt his lips brush the back of her neck, just below the ends of her hair. He kept kissing her, so gently that it made her shiver, until he had made his way to the side of her neck. Then he sank his teeth into her skin, making her cry out. It hurt, but the way he was kissing her still made it sting less.

“Oppa, please.” She didn’t know what she was asking for, wasn’t sure if she wanted him to keep going or let her go.

“Tell me no and I’ll leave, kitten,” he murmured against her skin. It was hard to think with him so close to her, with his mouth still moving over her skin. But she knew he was telling her the truth: if she said no, he would stop.

But she couldn’t tell him no, not when every fiber of her being was screaming yes. She couldn’t form words, so she just tilted her head to the side, giving him better access to her skin. She could feel him grinning and he pulled her back against him by her hips, grinding himself into her. She went a little cross eyed at the feeling; she hadn’t expected him to be so hard already.

He let go of her briefly before grabbing her hand and pulling her after him to the bedroom. Of course, he wanted the bed. He wasn’t the kind of man who would fuck her over the kitchen table. He was methodical about getting her out of her clothes. The shirt went first, then the clasp of her bra opened and he was holding her up against him, kissing her. There was something about him that made it painful, something that reminded her that he wasn’t about to make love to her. Her hands scrabbled at the front of his shirt, undoing the buttons as quickly as she could. She could feel the way his pants were straining against him and that made her fingers slow and clumsy.

“Take those off.” He gestured at her jeans as he undid his belt. His eyes remained on her as she wiggled out of them and discarded them with the rest of her clothes. It was at that moment that Minseok learned her boss didn’t wear underwear. She was so surprised that he was able to get her panties off without her even realizing it until she had to step out of them. He pushed her backwards onto the bed, climbing on top of her immediately afterward.

She was almost afraid to touch him, and he seemed to notice. He draped one of her arms over his back, giving her permission to hold onto him. He slipped two fingers into his mouth, deliberately hamming it up before he pulled them out and plunged them into her. She yelped at the sudden intrusion. She hadn’t had sex in a very long time and her body had forgotten what it was like. It was very quickly remembering as he worked his fingers in her. He seemed less concerned with bringing her pleasure than opening her up, although it was working in both ways.

When he seemed satisfied with his work, he leaned over her to the nightstand pulled out a condom, ripping it open with his teeth.

“Onto your stomach, kitten,” he ordered as he rolled the condom over himself. She did as he asked and he looped one arm under her hips, pulling them up so her ass was in the air. She felt a sloppy, wet kiss land between her shoulder blades and then he was inside her. It hurt, but she had expected that. She had expected that she was going to be feeling the edge of pain with the pleasure. Her fingers curled in the sheets just so she could have something to hold onto. He wasn’t being gentle or slow, and she didn’t care. Fast and brutal was his way, and she had known it would be like this, and she didn’t care. It did surprise her when he slowed to a stop and pulled out of her. She lifted her head, pushing her hair out of her sweaty face to see what he was doing.

He positioned her on top of him, settling his hands on her hips to pull her down onto him. Her mouth fell open at the sensation of this position. He was being easier on her, but it felt like she might actually catch on fire if he didn’t help her over the edge.

Suddenly bold, she raked her nails down his chest, making him hiss in response. He bucked his hips up into her harder and she moaned.

“Oh, is that what you want, kitten? You want it harder?” He wrapped his hand around her throat as he started to thrust harder again. A tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, leaving a warm trail down her cheek. Finally, finally, she could take it no longer and the fire exploded, leaving her shaking and shuddering on top of him. He helped her ride it out, loosening his grip on her throat until he had let her go and stopped moving completely. He laid her down next to him and she tried to catch her breath and locate where her legs had gone.

Except for their heavy breathing, there was no sound in the room. He was lying on his back, arms crossed behind his head and grinning like the cat that ate the canary while she tried to find all of her pieces. She kept her face carefully turned away from him so she wouldn’t have to look him in the eye. She couldn’t, not yet. The rigid way she was holding her shoulders and her silence must have tipped him off.

 He ran a finger down her spine, down and then up again. “Are you upset?”

“I don’t know how I feel.”

“I know how you feel.” It was very clear he didn’t mean emotionally from his predatory tone of voice. He gave her a small nip behind her ear and she finally looked at him. He was grinning with satisfaction from ear to ear.

“This was just sex, right? Never happens again?”

“I don’t know about that. Now that I know how pretty you look with my hand wrapped around your throat.” She could still feel his handprint on her neck and wondered if it would bruise.

“I don’t…I don’t…”

“You don’t what, kitten?”

“I don’t know if I can do this again.”

“As long as you don’t fall in love with me, I don’t see why not.”

She snorted before she could help herself. “Sorry, oppa, I don’t foresee that happening.”

“Then you’re fine. You’re still my diamond thief and maybe every now and then I fuck you blind.” She scrunched up her face and he laughed. “You just better not let Yifan see what I did to your neck. He might lose it.”

“Which time? When you bit me or when you started choking me?”

“The bite. And don’t pretend you didn’t like the choking. I saw you, Minseok.” She felt her ears turn red. “Go get cleaned up. I need to make a phone call.” He patted her on the ass to get her moving and she escaped to the bathroom. She desperately wanted a shower, so she let the water heat up and tried to convince herself she couldn’t see the imprint of his hand on her neck. Tried to pretend she hadn’t just had the life screwed out of her by her boss. Tried to pretend that she didn’t want to sleep with him again as soon as he got off the phone.

\--

“Fuck, Johnny,” Ten muttered, looking at his neck in the mirror. “Could you try not to bite the shit out of me next time?” He had three or four hickeys on each side of his neck, all blooming red and purple on his skin.

“I missed you.” Johnny wrapped his arms around Ten’s waist, kissing the back of his neck. “Besides, you know no one will care.”

“Mark makes faces at me.”

“Mark is a little boy who isn’t getting any. Of course he’s making faces, he’s jealous.” He peeked over the younger man’s shoulder into the mirror. “You could always wear a scarf.”

“Like it isn’t summer.” Ten snorted. “I’ll take my chances with Mark instead of getting heatstroke.”

“Then there’s no big deal.” Johnny checked the time and hissed through his teeth. “You better get going. You’ve got places to be, people to kill.”

“I suppose I do.” Ten grabbed his pants from the bed, pulling them on quickly. “Are you going to be asleep by the time I get back?”

“Depends on how long your job takes. Is that you asking me to wait up for you?”

“I missed you too, John.” They shared a sweet kiss before Ten broke away to pull his shirt back on. “If you’re asleep, I won’t wake you.”

“I’ll be waiting. Come back quickly.”

Ten finished getting dressed and headed out into the night. Inside the bedroom he shared with Johnny, he was Ten, just Ten. But when he stepped out onto the streets, he was the Ghost. The pistols hidden under his jacket felt like a comforting blanket, like protective talismans. He’d been scoping out Kwon long enough to know where he’d be tonight. It wouldn’t be hard to get his shot. All he had to do was wait long enough to get him alone.

If he hadn’t been so screwed up about Minseok, he could have killed him the night he’d intended to. But after firing his gun and getting shaken up, he’d felt like he would have botched the job. So he took his time examining the apartment and left. Maybe it would be better to wait for Kwon in the apartment, although there was no telling when he’d get back there. Ten wanted to enjoy the night with Johnny. That trip to Japan had taken too long for his liking. But as much as he wanted to get home and be with his boyfriend, he couldn’t afford to botch the kill by rushing it. He needed the perfect shot, the perfect time and place.

What he needed was for Kwon to get out of the restaurant he was sitting in. He always stopped in the alley to smoke a cigar after he ate, and that was the perfect time to make a clean shot and run. His ass was starting to go numb sitting on the cement stoop across the street. Then Kwon moved his head and he saw the distinctive gray hair that belonged to Minseok’s boss. Kwon was gesturing wildly, but Suho seemed completely at ease, watching him flail about. If it wasn’t impossible for him to be able to see out of the windows across the street, Ten would have sworn that Suho had seen him.

Then Suho was soothing Kwon, easing his ego, and gesturing for them to both step outside. Ten gathered himself up and pushed himself back into the shadows to watch what was going on. Kwon, still ranting, led the way into the alleyway. Suho was producing something from his jacket pocket, and then a small flame appeared between them. A small cloud of smoke formed over their heads. Then Suho gestured at the restaurant and moved to go back inside. As he did, he glanced over at the shadows covering Ten, and he could have sworn he saw the crime lord wink.

He’d given him the perfect shot at Kwon, and an alibi for himself. So Ten slipped across the street, walked into the alley, and shot Kwon at point-blank range. He dropped to the ground, dead instantly from the bullet in his forehead, and Ten strolled away. He’d have plenty of time to make his way home and spend a quiet evening with Johnny.

That was, until he crossed the street and a small hand shot out and caught him by the arm. His hand went to his gun immediately until the person stepped out of the shadows. It was Minseok, in another wig, this one red with heavy bangs.

“Sorry to scare you, Ghostie. But we need to talk.”

\--

Minseok could hardly believe she was doing this. It was bad enough that she was out in the open after Junmyeon had told her stay inside, but to startle an assassin was to ask for death. She was lucky he hadn’t blown her head off and was actually taking her where she’d asked.

If she got shot, she was never speaking to Junmyeon again.

At least the wig he’d dug up for her covered the horrible bruise on her neck from where he’d bitten her. She took small pleasure in knowing that she’d left nail marks on his chest; when he’d gone off to have dinner with Kwon, she’d been able to see one of the scratches where his button down was open. Not that he seemed to care. He’d burst in on her in the shower to tell her what he needed her to do and then proceeded to catcall and make lewd comments from the other side of the glass. If he hadn’t been her boss she would have shot him.

She was still considering shooting him now, walking into the apartment that Ten shared with the rest of his gang.

“Tennie? Is that you?” The tall man she’d seen before wandered out in only a pair of lounge pants, rubbing one eye with his fist like a little kid. He caught sight of Minseok and surprise crossed his face, immediately replaced with a blank expression.

“Is Taeyong around?” Ten asked, trying to communicate through his eyes that everything was all right. Johnny wasn’t very quick to trust, but he could at least trust Ten to not get them all murdered.

“I’ll get him.” Johnny disappeared down the hall, leaving Ten to gesture for Minseok to sit down. She did, although she definitely didn’t get comfortable. The gun in her jacket was the only thing making her feel marginally comfortable.

A few moments later, the living room was filled with men, none of whom looked thrilled to see Minseok. The one with white hair and a scowl on his face was Taeyong, she assumed. Everyone seemed to defer to him at least.

“Who are you?” He demanded, glowering down at Minseok.

“Some call me the Cat.” She tried not to smile when Ten nearly choked in the corner. “I work for Suho and Kris. They have a proposition for you.”

“And that proposition would be?” Taeyong cocked his head to one side, peering under the red hair. “You’re the girl who snuck up on my gunman.”

“I am. And that’s not common news, so you don’t have to worry. Suho and Kris would like to set up a meeting with you to discuss some business matters.”

“What kind of business matters?” The short one in glasses piped up.

“I’m just the messenger. They want to discuss something with you, I suggest you go.” Minseok shrugged. “I have a time and a place for you, it’s up to you if you accept it.” She held up the slip of paper that had all the details written on it. She could see Taeyong didn’t trust her, but he couldn’t refuse a meeting with them either. So he finally took the slip out of her hand, looked at it, and then pocketed it.

“You can tell them we’ll be there,” he said finally.

“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to make a phone call and then I’ll be out of your hair.” She stepped into the kitchen to call for the car that Junmyeon was sending for her. He didn’t want her walking or taking a cab, even though she was pretty sure Kwon was a corpse in an alleyway somewhere. As she called for the car, she could hear the rapid whispers they were passing back and forth. Most of it seemed to be directed at Ten and what he knew about her. The tall man who had been at the restaurant earlier had his arm around Ten’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. Between the gesture and the marks on Ten’s neck, she had a feeling they were dating. She smiled slightly to herself. The killer had a boyfriend, had a heart.

She hung up and stepped back into the living room. All conversation ceased immediately and she felt the weight of their stares like a ton of bricks.

“It’s not a trap,” she said. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to ease their anxiety. Maybe she felt she owed it to Ten. “That’s not the way they do business. I don’t know what they want to discuss, but they aren’t bringing you in to kill you.” She made eye contact with Ten, who looked slightly less skeptical than his boyfriend, or the rest of the group.

“We’ll see.” Taeyong lifted his chin and squared his shoulders, obviously posturing. She would have laughed if she wasn’t sure she was going to get her ass kicked for it.

“I’ll be going then.” Awkwardly, she let herself out and went to the front of the building where the car was waiting for her. She was off to spend another night in the penthouse. Even with her sore body and aching stitches, she wanted Junmyeon to stay, to make her burn like that again. It was dangerous and stupid, but she wanted it.

With a sigh, she rested her head against the window, watching the city lights go by. She was one seriously screwed up individual who needed to call her sister and stop fucking her boss.

\--

“Tennie, what were you thinking?” Johnny was about to rip his hair out of his scalp, especially since Ten was remaining so calm. Taeyong had retreated to his room as soon as Minseok left, leaving the rest of them to filter out for the night or return to their bedrooms. Johnny had dragged him in almost as soon as the door had shut behind Minseok.

“I was thinking that she had a message for Taeyong, and I needed to bring her here.” Ten grabbed him by the waist on his next pass and pulled him down on the bed. “She’s not going to hurt us. She was alone when she asked me to bring her, and she wouldn’t have stood a chance against all of us at once. And we already know that in a fight, I’m going to win.”

“I still think you shouldn’t have brought her,” Johnny mumbled, pushing his face into Ten’s chest. “I’ve got a bad feeling about her.”

“You had a bad feeling about me when you first met me.”

“That’s because I knew I was going to have to have you and I wasn’t sure if I could.”

Ten chuckled, ruffling Johnny’s hair. “I trust her, Johnny. And we both know that even if she had given me the message, Taeyong would have had to agree to the meeting. We can’t turn it down.”

“Yeah, but now she knows where we live.”

“Suho could have found that out beforehand. There’s no hiding from them.” He paused for a moment. “I had to bring her here. It was a sign of trust.”

“That you trust her?”

“I guess. And I think she trusts me.” He sighed, running his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair. “You were the one telling me that everything’s going to be fine. And it will be.”

“I don’t like walking in blind.”

“No one does. But we’ll be all right.”

“Mmm.” He could tell he was lulling Johnny to sleep by playing with his hair. He was probably still tired from his trip to Japan. It kind of killed the mood for the romantic evening Ten had planned, but he didn’t mind. As long as he and Johnny were together and he was safe in his arms, everything was as it should be.

\--

Yifan and Junmyeon were waiting for her when she got back to the penthouse. She very carefully kept the red tendrils of the wig covering her neck; if she took it off, her own hair was too short to cover the lurid bruise on her neck.

“Everything go smoothly?” Yifan asked, delicately tapping his cigarette over the ashtray.

“No new bullet wounds and they agreed to the meeting.” Minseok put on the slippers she liked and padded towards the kitchen to get some water. She was still a little shaken from the meeting. She had felt the tension and the distrust in the room so palpably. But she had meant them no harm and knew her bosses didn’t either.

“Well done, kitten.” Hearing Junmyeon use her pet name now, after hearing it in that deep, raspy voice earlier, made it strange but also thrilling.

“How are your stitches?” Yifan asked when she came back into the room.

“They’re all right. Oppa checked them earlier.” She tried to make it sound less like they had had sex but she was sure she was unsuccessful.

“Be careful with them. We need you whole.” Yifan stubbed out his cigarette. “We have a new job coming up for you soon.”

“What new shiny thing will I be stealing?” She plopped herself into the armchair, wishing she could take this damn wig off. It was starting to itch.

“We’ll give you the information when we’ve collected more details.” Yifan stood up, straightening the teal suit jacket he was wearing. He never tried to blend in, although at his height and with that shock of sandy blond hair, it was hard to blend in. “You’ll also be joining us at the meeting with NCT. It might make them more comfortable if you’re there.”

“Maybe.” She wasn’t sure if they cared about her presence at all. Maybe Ten, who had trusted her enough to bring her into his home. She said good night to Yifan as he left and then scurried into the bedroom as fast as she could to avoid being alone with Junmyeon. She didn’t know how to behave around him anymore. Were they business partners again? Or would she play the role of his lover again tonight?

As she got herself ready for bed, she thought that he’d slipped out with Yifan, leaving her alone in the penthouse. But when she shuffled out to the bed, he was stretched out across it, all leonine grace and self-satisfied smiles.

“Am I taking the couch?” She asked dumbly, unsure of what else to say. Maybe he wanted to spend the night in the penthouse for once.

“No, Minseok, you’re not.” He tugged her down onto the bed, releasing her as soon as she made a noise of pain. “I forget that you’re injured sometimes.”

“I don’t.” She probed her stitches carefully, searching for the tell-tale warm wetness to see if she had pulled a stitch. Everything seemed to be in order.

“Perhaps I should just let you sleep tonight.” He got up, untucking the covers. She wondered who had made the bed between their wild fucking and now. She couldn’t imagine that he had done it himself.

“Probably for the best.” Even with her long nap earlier, she was still tired. She needed rest more than anything.

“You don’t mind if I stay?” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement that he was going to stay.

“Of course not, oppa.” She curled up on her side of the bed, carefully keeping all of her limbs close to herself so as to not invade his space. She heard a snort and then a hand was cupping her breast and he was pressed up behind her.

“Just because we’re not fucking doesn’t mean you have to sleep like I’m your grandmother.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and rolled onto his back.

“I just… I don’t know what the rules are for this.”

“The rules are nonexistent. You act the way you feel, I act the way I feel. I like having my hands on you, so I want to sleep close to you.”

“I like having your hands on me.” It was hard to admit it.

“Then there’s no problem. Come here.” She settled closer to him and he rested one hand on her ass, not squeezing, but definitely present. She didn’t mind the hand as much as the closeness. This was too intimate. She wasn’t his girlfriend by any means and she didn’t think cuddling came with the territory for fuck buddies. But she was too tired to argue with him, so she closed her eyes and tried to pretend he wasn’t there.

That didn’t work very well, of course. She slept on and off for a few hours and finally had to get out of bed. She was too uncomfortable sleeping next to him like that to really get any rest. So she covered herself with her jacket and stretched out on the couch, beige suede be damned. It was less comfortable than the bed, but she was alone, and that was good enough. She just needed to rest. Having looked at the paper before she handed it over, she knew they were meeting with NCT the next night. Although she wasn’t entirely sure why she was supposed to be there, she knew she’d need to be well-rested for the meeting. Yifan and Junmyeon would tolerate nothing less.

When she woke up in the morning, she found her jacket had been replaced by a blanket, and Junmyeon was sitting in the armchair, reading the newspaper in a pair of pajama pants. One delicate ankle was crossed over one plaid-covered knee. He looked like a normal man, if it weren’t for the tattoos crossing his torso.

“Couldn’t sleep in the bed?” He asked casually, not looking away from the paper. He must have seen her move out of the corner of his eye.

“I didn’t want to disturb you.” It was only partially a lie. She would have eventually woken him up with her tossing and turning.

“If you didn’t want me to stay, you could have said something, kitten.” Something about the way he had said it made her realize her leaving had stung him.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want you to stay.” She sighed, pulling herself into a sitting position. “Oppa, I’m not your girlfriend. And I can’t act like I am if I’m not.”

“Are you saying you want to be?” He finally looked away from the paper, one eyebrow elegantly arched.

“No. I know that you like your women and I wouldn’t ask that of you. And I don’t…” She paused, furrowing her brows. “I was going somewhere with this. I can’t remember now.”

“You can’t do cuddling because we aren’t together. Understood.” He set the paper down, folding it neatly. “I won’t ask that of you again.”

“And what will you ask of me?”

“To be my thief. And occasionally my lover.” He chuckled, picking up his cigarette pack. “Two years, Minseok. I waited two years to get you into bed.”

“You mean even when I was a raggedy toothpick you wanted to fuck me?” She scoffed. “You have worse taste than I thought.”

“Don’t start with me.” He cupped his hands around the lighter, clicking it shut before returning it to the silver tray.

“Why me, Junmyeon? I’ve seen the women you keep around, I know what they look like. And this isn’t it.” She gestured at herself, remembering the model-like woman who had come in.

“You don’t understand my taste then. But you will.”

The tips of ears went red when she realized the double entendre. “Are you going to tell Yifan?”

“Is it his business?”

“He’ll find out eventually. Especially with this thing on my neck.” She had no idea how she was going to cover it unless she wore that red wig again.

“Are you worried he’ll be mad at you?”

“Maybe? I don’t think he’d be happy to find out I was sleeping with you. Yifan-oppa is…protective.”

“You remind him of one of his sisters, I think.”

“I didn’t know he had sisters.”

“He keeps them out of his business, very carefully. But you remind him of them, I think. And Jongdae of his brother.”

“I need to call Jongdae,” she groaned, hunting for her phone. “We got into an argument yesterday. He’s upset that I got shot again.”

“Not entirely your fault.”

“I know. He’s just worried. He goes to school and does rehearsal and I steal things for a living. We have very different lives.”

“Is he making you have second thoughts?”

“No. What else would I do? We were starving when I met you, oppa. My paycheck could barely cover the rent for the hellhole we were living in, let alone food. And Jongdae couldn’t work because he was in school. But now, I can support him, can give him a good life. We have a roof over our heads that isn’t full of holes and good food and warm beds. And I did it by doing jobs for you. It may be wrong on some moral level, but when I remember where we were,” she shook her head, “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“You don’t have the heart of a criminal, Minseok.”

“I’ve never thought of myself as a criminal. Robbing thieves isn’t a crime. It’s not like you’ve ever asked me to break into a widow’s house and steal her savings.” She paused for a moment, looking at him carefully. “I don’t think you have the heart of a criminal either.”

“Really.” He took a sip of his tea. “One of the biggest crime lords in Korea and you don’t think I have the heart of a criminal.”

“You don’t. Neither does Yifan. A criminal is the kind of person who destroys women and children, who kills at random, who takes from someone who needs it. You’re no angel, but you don’t have an evil heart.”

“You have a somewhat romanticized vision of me, kitten.” He got up, kissing her on the forehead. “I’ll make you some tea. Then I need you to go somewhere with me.”

“The meeting isn’t until later, though.”

“No, it’s not. But there’s an errand we need to do.”

“All right.” She wrapped herself more snugly in the blanket, wishing the air conditioner was a little lower. Sure, it was summer and it was hot, but she would have rather been a little warm than frozen to death. She accepted the tea when he handed her the mug, blowing on it to cool it before she took a sip. “So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” He winked. “I’m going to shower and get ready, and then we’ll go, all right?”

“We’ll need to stop by my apartment, I need clean clothes.”

“I think I have something that might work for you. Drink your tea.” He disappeared into the bedroom and she settled back into the couch, cradling her tea in her palms. Many women had come in and out of this penthouse; maybe he was going to give her some clothes belonging to one of them. She wasn’t really in a position to be picky but she didn’t want a previous conquest’s clothes. Not if she was going to have to put up with being his lover and nothing else. Not that she wanted anything else; at least, she thought she didn’t want anything else. This whole thing was very confusing to her. She wished she had someone she could talk to about it. Yifan would blow a gasket, Jongdae would tell her to stop working for him altogether. She had no one else.

Unless, she decided she wanted to ask Ten for his advice. She snorted into her tea at the thought of asking him for relationship advice. Although, he seemed to be happy and with someone. Maybe he could give her some advice on what to do.

Suppressing an eye roll, she decided to focus on drinking her tea. She needed to focus on her job, not on Junmyeon. There was a big job coming up that they needed her whole for, and that meeting with NCT. She had enough to worry about without bringing her love life into it.

She had finished her tea and part of the newspaper by the time Junmyeon was done getting ready. He was wearing a black button down and a pair of leopard print pants, the matching blazer in his hand. He’d even taken the time to smudge a little black kohl around his eyes.

“Are we going to pick up a prostitute?” She asked drily, looking him over.

“Are you trying to say I look like a pimp?”

“A little. Now, you said you had clothes for me?”

“I might not let you wear clothes out of the house now.” He still led her into the bedroom and opened the closet for her. There were rows of neatly hung button downs, and she was surprised to see a row of t-shirts.

“You actually wear these?” She pulled on the hem of a striped t-shirt.

“If I don’t have a meeting or someone to kill, I do dress down.” He shrugged. “Pick something, kitten. We have places to be.”

She examined the selection, skipping his flashier clothes, and selected the gray striped shirt. It was soft and it was probably light enough that she wouldn’t sweat to death when they went out.

She had barely pulled her sleeping shirt over her head when he said, “Let me look at your stitches.”

“I thought we had places to be.”

“We do. I just want to make sure you’re healing properly.”

“The last time you checked my stitches I ended up on my knees biting the comforter.”

“Well when you say things like that…” She almost swatted at him as he bent his knees to look at the stitches. “They look a little irritated. Yifan should look at them later.”

“I’ll ask him. Can I put my clothes on now?”

“For now.” He sauntered out of the bedroom and the way his ass looked in those leopard pants made her brain short circuit.

“I am really, truly, and sincerely fucked,” she mumbled to herself as she changed into her jeans and the soft t-shirt. It was a little big on her, because Junmyeon had broader shoulders, but otherwise it fit fairly well. She was lucky she wasn’t wearing Yifan’s clothes; she would have been able to hide her whole body inside one of his shirts. She combed through her hair with her fingers, frowning when the short ends stuck out at funny angles, but didn’t fuss too much else with her appearance. For all she knew, Junmyeon was taking her to steal something.

When she walked back out into the living room, Junmyeon’s lips curved into a smile. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“You look good in my clothes,” he practically purred. “Come on, the car is waiting.”

She wasn’t sure if Junmyeon didn’t like to drive, or if he just liked being able to have other people drive for him. The driver held the door and Junmyeon swept a graceful bow, letting her climb in before him. She slid into her seat and watched as Junmyeon purposefully took the bucket seat in the middle rather than the other comfortable seat. The way his hand settled onto her knee was answer enough as to why he’d chosen that seat.

“This is still okay?” He murmured as the driver got back into his seat.

“It’s fine, oppa.”

He hummed gently, his hand sliding up the inner part of her thigh. “When you say that now, it feels so dirty.”

“How do you think I feel about you calling me kitten?”

“You’ve always been my kitten.” He nuzzled up against her chin gently. “Soft and sweet, and innocent.”

“I think we’ve effectively done away with my innocence.”

“Not yet.” His grin did little to ease her nerves. He kept his hand dangerously high up on her thigh until they pulled up to their destination. He slid out first, then helped her out onto the curb like she was one of those delicate models he liked. He steadied her with an arm around her waist for a beat too long before releasing her and letting her look around.

They were standing in front of a fancy boutique, a place that Minseok would have never gone into on her own, unless it was to buy something nice for Jongdae. She had no use for the frilly dresses and the sparkling gowns. She was a thief, not a model.

Still, that seemed to be exactly where Junmyeon wanted to take her. The woman behind the counter bowed as soon as she saw Junmyeon. Clearly he wasn’t a first time customer here. Minseok shuffled her feet uncomfortably as the two of them exchanged pleasantries. She felt like the carpet was too expensive for her to be standing on. She used to feel that way about Junmyeon’s penthouse, but after spending time there she had almost forgotten what it was. Who he was.

“I need a dress for her. Something…eye-catching,” Junmyeon explained to the woman. The woman looked Minseok up and down, at the rip forming in the knee of her jeans, at the scuffed boots, at the borrowed t-shirt. She made a sound with her tongue and snatched Minseok’s wrists.

“I’ll have to get your measurements first,” the woman said, practically dragging Minseok along with her to the back room. Minseok cast a glance back at Junmyeon, who was smiling to himself. He was clearly going to be no help.

The woman, whose name was Misuk, stripped Minseok of her clothes faster than Junmyeon had. She merely tutted at the bandage covering her side and swiftly took Minseok’s measurements. Then, as briskly as she had come in, Misuk left the room, leaving Minseok naked and shivering in the fitting room. She didn’t want to put her clothes back on and get scolded, but she was actually freezing. Carefully, holding her shirt over her chest, she poked her head out of the fitting room. Misuk and Junmyeon were going through the store, picking out pieces.

“Oppa?” She hissed. He swung his head towards her, gray hair falling in his eyes briefly. She gestured for him to come towards her. He left the dresses he had collected with Misuk and came up to the door. As soon as he was that close, he could see the mirror through the crack of the door and realized Minseok was naked.

“Did you want to have sex in a fitting room, kitten?” He asked, slipping into the fitting room with her. “Because I wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m freezing to death back here and you want to have sex?”

“Well, it would warm you up.”

“ _Oppa_.”

“You’re not helping your cause, kitten.” He put one hand on the curve of her lower back, pulling her into him. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m freezing. And I’m afraid of the lady.”

“Misuk is harmless. She just knows I expect nothing but the best from her. Why don’t you put your clothes back on?”

“Because she stripped me.”

“Would you have liked it better if I stripped you?”

“Oh for the love of God.” She threw the t-shirt at him, exasperated. “Why am I even here?”

“Because you need a dress.”

“Why? Where are we going?”

“I promise, I will tell you later.” His eyes traveled over her naked body hungrily. “It was a mistake calling me in here.”

“I am quickly realizing that.” She crossed her arms over her chest in a vain attempt at covering herself. “Can I have your jacket, please?”

“As long as the next time I come in here, that’s all you have on.” He handed it over and she wrapped herself in it, relishing in the warmth of the blazer. He left with a suggestive wink. When the door shut behind him, she slipped her underwear back on so that at least she could sit down. Her nipples were so hard she was sure she could have cut diamonds with them. She had to suppress a snort when she thought about using them to cut the diamonds she had stolen.

It felt like an eternity before Misuk returned with an armful of dresses. She instructed Minseok to put each one on and then come out to show Junmyeon.

She wasn’t sure where to start. All of them were high fashion and nothing like her taste. The first she selected simply because it was so bright. The dress was long sleeved and the skirt was at a decent length, but it was made of shimmering blue-green sequins. She practically poured it over her narrow body.

She stepped out to show Junmyeon, who nodded appreciatively and asked for her to turn so he could see the back. Then she returned to the dressing room to try on another. She stripped out of the dress, carefully hanging it back up, and turned back to the rack before her.

“I’m not trying this one on!” She called out to him, looking over the ruffled monstrosity they’d given her.

“Which one, kitten?” Junmyeon sounded like he was right outside the door.

“This horrible, ruffly floral thing. I’ll look like my grandmother’s tea cozy.”

“That’s fashion, kitten. But if you don’t like it, skip it.” She immediately moved it to the “no” pile and picked up the next dress. She wasn’t sure if it was actually a dress, or just a long jacket. The green silk and velvet felt good against her skin, even as she had to check in the mirror to make sure her ass wasn’t hanging out.

“I hope you don’t need me to do anything in this dress, because this is the kind of thing you put on a mannequin to stand there and look pretty.”

“You can’t move in it?”

“Not without exposing myself.” He didn’t seem bothered by the idea, but he still sent her back to the fitting room. She tried on several more dresses that either didn’t fit her taste or were entirely too short for any movement.

The final dress was apricot colored satin that flowed like water. It would hit her at the knees, but with a slit up to her thigh it was easy to move in.

She came out and did a twirl for Junmyeon. He stood up, coming to look at her closer. He circled her slowly like a shark around his prey, then leaned in and whispered, “Take it off, and I’ll be in in a minute.”  

She blinked, and then turned back to the fitting room. She was lightning fast stripping it off and putting her own clothes back on. By the time Junmyeon slipped inside, she was pulling her boots back on.

“I thought I told you I wanted you in nothing but the blazer,” he said, leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You did. And I decided I didn’t want to have sex with you in a fitting room.” She stood up, trying to draw herself to her full height to look more imposing. Not that it helped; he still had several inches on her.

He hummed softly in disappointment, one hand trailing down her side. It tickled more than seduced her, but she didn’t want to injure his pride. “And where will you have sex with me?”

“At home.” She blinked, wondering when the penthouse had become home. “As long as you take me to my apartment first.”

“So bossy,” he muttered, pulling her in for a kiss. “Fine, fine, kitten. We’ll go as soon as I pay for the dress.”

“How much is it anyway?” She had managed to turn the tag over and see the numbers before he snatched it away from her. “Oppa, you can’t buy this for me.”

“Why not?”

“Because-because,” she spluttered, still shocked by the price. “It’s too much.”

“For where we’re going, it’s not.” He ducked out of the fitting room, the dress draped over his arm, leaving her to try to collect what was left of her brain. She was spending entirely too much time with Junmyeon, that was the problem. She needed to go back to her apartment and be there and be with Jongdae and maybe she’d be able to get a handle on the situation again.

But as she walked back out and admired Junmyeon’s lithe body, she doubted she would.

\--

“John, will you breathe, please?” Ten pushed himself up onto his knees, draping himself over Johnny’s shoulders. “You’re so tense I might be able to snap you.”

“I can’t stop thinking about tonight,” Johnny admitted, not lifting his head out of his hands. “What if Taeyong is too proud? What if Taeil says something stupid, or I do something that makes me look too aloof or-”

“Johnny, please.” Ten rubbed his shoulders gently. “We’re going to be all right. If something goes wrong, we’ll smooth it over. I know Minseok will help us.”

“How do you know? You _shot her_ , Tennie. That doesn’t exactly put you in a position to ask for help.”

“It doesn’t, but…I trust her. She’s not going to lead us into a trap.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I feel it in my bones. The way I know that I belong to you. It’s in my bones.” His fingertips danced along the older man’s waistband teasingly. “I know what will help you relax.”

“Ten.” The warning tone in Johnny’s voice made the assassin drop his hand.

“I’m just trying to help you be less tense.” Ten couldn’t help the sharpness in his voice. “I think I’ll take a walk.”

“No, Tennie, wait-” But Ten had already left. He was so frustrated he could have punched a hole in the wall. No matter how much he tried to convince the others that everything was going to be all right, they threw it back in his face.

Yes, he had shot Minseok. But he’d only wounded her, and she was moving around well enough that he didn’t seem to have injured her that badly. And when she’d explained why she had been waiting for him after he killed Kwon, she had seemed friendly, nearly affectionate. It was strange and he couldn’t explain it, but he felt a connection with her that she was sure she returned. Maybe it was their ability to disappear, to become invisible before peoples’ very eyes, that drew them together.

He kicked at a can in his path, sending it skittering into the alley. His hunches were nearly never wrong. He didn’t know why no one was trusting him with this. It wasn’t like he’d done anything wrong. Or maybe it was just Johnny that was bothering him. If anyone should have believed him, it should have been his boyfriend, right? But Johnny had freaked out as soon as Minseok stepped foot in their apartment and hadn’t stopped worrying since.

He was in such a foul mood that he nearly toppled over a young man who had happened to cross his path. Automatically he reached out to steady him, helping him regain him balance. He was dressed like he had just been working out, a gym bag slung over his shoulder.

“Sorry about that,” he grunted. “Wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“It’s all right.” He looked up at him and he could have sworn he was looking into Minseok’s face. Then he remembered the man she’d been having lunch with the day before. They had to be siblings.s

“Are you Minseok’s brother?”

He looked at him warily, obviously not expecting the question. “Maybe. Who’s asking?”

“My name is Ten. I’m a friend of hers.”

“My sister doesn’t have friends.” He moved to push past him, but now this was really starting to get under his skin.

“I am her friend.”

“What’s my name then?”

_Fuck_. He had him there. “She wants to keep you out of her business. But she talks about you.”

That apparently was the right thing to say, because his shoulders relaxed. “I’m Jongdae. Do you have any idea where she is right now?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say with Suho and Kris.”

“She’s been gone for the last few days and some creepy dude is hanging around outside the building, watching me.”

“He could be there for your protection.”

“Trust me, the only protection I need is Minseok.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He realized they were just standing in the middle of the sidewalk. “I’m sorry, I’ve interrupted your day.”

“I was just going home.” He lifted her leg, showing him the bandage wrapped around his ankle. “Twisted my ankle during rehearsal so the choreographer sent me home.”

“Why don’t I walk you home? Make sure you get home safely.”

Jongdae looked down his nose at him, an exact mirror of his sister’s expression. “You realize if you touch me, my sister will kill you.”

He laughed, really laughed. “Not only do I know that, but there’s no danger of that happening. I have a boyfriend.”

He visibly relaxed and turned to lead him towards the apartment. “What’s he like?”

“He’s…well, on a good day I’d call him wonderfully stubborn. He’s driving me crazy today though.”

“Are you…” He trailed off, glancing around them. “Do you work with Minseok?”

“You could say that.”

“And you have a stable relationship?”

“Well, it helps that my boyfriend is in the business with me.”

Jongdae looked disappointed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”

“Why?”

“Because my sister doesn’t have anyone. I hardly ever see her because she’s gone all night and then I have to go to class and rehearsal. You’re the first person I’ve ever met that’s been her friend.”

“Well, she has Kris and Suho.”

“They’re her bosses. It’s not the same. She’s alone and all she thinks about is me.” His expression turned sad. “I love her, but if she spends her life…working, so that I can have what I want, she’ll end up with nothing.”

“Maybe you should talk to her about it.”

“I would, if I ever saw her. I don’t know where she is and calling her doesn’t usually help.”

He hesitated for a moment. “I think I’ll be seeing her tonight. Do you want me to tell her that you want to talk?”

“Maybe.” He blew out a breath, brushing the bits of his hair that had gotten stuck to his face with sweat. He had the same cat-like eyes as Minseok, but his weren’t as tired, as haunted as hers. Jongdae looked like he actually slept.

Ten walked him all the way to the apartment. Jongdae paused on the threshold, his brows furrowed. “Do you want to come in? Get a glass of water or something?”

“Sure.” It was boiling hot and he had stormed out of the apartment in all black. Hydration would be good for him.

At least, he thought it was a good idea until he followed Jongdae into the kitchen and found Minseok and Suho in a compromising position. Minseok screeched at the sight of them, covering up her torso immediately. Suho, his button down undone and revealing the tattoos on his torso, hardly reacted except to greet Jongdae, who had covered his eyes in horror at the sight. Ten decided the best place to look was the floor.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Minseok demanded, pulling her shirt back on.

“I got out of rehearsal early,” Jongdae shot back.

“Not you, him!” Minseok gestured at Ten and he could tell she wished she had a gun in her hand.

“He walked me home. Why are you surprised? He’s a friend of yours apparently.”

Minseok glanced at Ten and gave a slight tilt of the head as if to admit that he was. “Oppa, can you give us a minute?” Suho shrugged and sauntered out of the kitchen, leaving the three of them in the kitchen alone.

“Please, please tell me you aren’t sleeping with Junmyeon-hyung,” Jongdae pleaded, grasping at his sister’s hands.

“What difference would it make if I was?” Minseok shook her head. “I am, I don’t want to talk about it, and I wish you hadn’t seen it.”

“Well, not only did I see you making out with him, but I saw where you’re injured.” Jongdae yanked his sister’s shirt up, revealing the white bandages on her side. “Have you even been to see a doctor?”

“No.” Minseok yanked the shirt back down. “Yifan took care of it. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

“Obviously I am, because I’m standing here having this argument with you.”

“Where have you been for the last few days?”

“I’m supposed to be staying out of sight. It’s a long story, just trust me. There’s someone here watching the apartment to make sure you’re safe.”

Ten successfully edged his way out of the kitchen and into the living room, where Suho, or Junmyeon, he guessed, was stretched out on the couch with his eyes closed. He seemed completely unruffled that Jongdae had just walked in on him making out with his older sister.

“Excellent job with Kwon, by the way,” Junmyeon said, startling Ten. He hadn’t thought the other man had even heard him come in the room. Clearly he needed to work on his stealth.

“Thank you. You helped set it up.” Ten perched himself on the arm of the couch by Junmyeon’s feet, unsure of what else to do with himself.

“As long as it takes the heat off Minseok, it was worth the trouble.” He chuckled. “Can’t have my best thief hampered by some half-rate crime lord.”

“You aren’t planning on slaughtering me and my friends tonight, are you?” The question just burst out of him before he could control it. Junmyeon opened one eye to look at him.

“Why would I waste seven perfectly good criminals?” He shook his head, closing his eyes and resting back on the pillow again. “No, it’s just a business meeting. Why? Are you worried?”

“I’m not. Someone else was.”

“I never bring my Minseok to a killing room.” Something about the way he said “my Minseok” concerned Ten a little. He didn’t know Minseok very well but he didn’t think she wanted to be one of Suho’s kept women. Jongdae certainly didn’t want that for his sister. They were probably still arguing about it, but they had lowered their voices so that the men in the living room couldn’t hear them.

“It’s good to hear that we’re not all going to die tonight.”

“You’d have only a few hours to fuck the life out of that pretty boyfriend of yours.”

Ten stiffened. “Did Minseok tell you that?”

“Relax, Minseok didn’t rat you out. I had my sources check on you and that was one of the interesting tidbits they turned up on you and your gang.” He opened his eyes again, looking Ten square in the face. “You’re both quite pretty.” There was something predatory about his gaze that made Ten want to crawl under the coffee table.

Thankfully, he was saved from that by Jongdae storming through the living room to his bedroom, slamming the door after his. Minseok emerged from the kitchen looking flustered and frustrated.

“Didn’t go well, kitten?” Junmyeon asked, craning his neck to look at her.

“Not exactly. I’ll get some clothes together and then we’ll leave.” She pointed at Ten. “You, follow me.” Afraid that she’d found her gun in the meantime, he followed her to her room. She left the door open, as if she wasn’t allowed to have boys in her room without the door open. For the first time, he wondered just how old she was.

“I bumped into Jongdae and recognized him from the restaurant. That’s all,” Ten said, cutting Minseok off before she could even start on her rant.

“That’s all?” She looked so mad he was surprised she didn’t throw something at him.

“That’s all. He hurt his ankle, I wanted to make sure he got home safely. Because he’s your brother.”

“And we’re really friends?”

“I feel like we are.”

“I do too.” She blew out a long breath. “Friends don’t shoot each other, so we’ll have to work on that with you.”

He laughed. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“Good. Now, friend, get the hell out of my apartment.”

“All right, all right. I’ll see you later, I suppose.” She just waved him off and he left, muttering a goodbye to Junmyeon as he went.

Johnny was never going to believe this.

\--

Minseok was silent for the whole ride back to the penthouse. Junmyeon let her sit in her thoughts, a comforting hand resting on her knee as he did something with his phone.

She would have given anything to be able to go back and not have Jongdae see what she was doing with Junmyeon. She had intended to keep it a secret for as long as she could, not wanting her brother to know that she had fallen into bed with her boss. Not that Jongdae hadn’t guessed that eventually she would.  Junmyeon was pretty, he was rich, and he was powerful. And he paid attention to Minseok, which was something she couldn’t say about a lot of men. It was obvious that one day they were going to sleep together. Minseok had denied it, of course, but she’d proven her brother right.

As soon as she finished beating herself up for letting Jongdae catch her in the act with Junmyeon, she got angry. What right did Jongdae have to lecture her about her relationship with him? As long as the money kept rolling in that kept him in school and the roof over his head, Jongdae didn’t have a right to lecture her. It wasn’t even that she stole for a living, or that she was involved with the mafia that Jongdae was upset about. It was _Junmyeon_ , who had hired her instead of punishing her for stealing his watch, who had given them both gifts over the years, who had cared for the two of them when the rest of the world had abandoned them.

Minseok had always been one of those people that when told not to do something, she went and did it to spite them. This was no different. When they arrived at the penthouse, she slipped off her shoes, happy to be wearing something other than boots, and deposited her bag on the couch. Junmyeon was still doing something with his phone, so she poured herself a glass of water and tried to find the words for what she wanted from him.

Permanence was impossible. Her time here in the penthouse would come to an end, and she would return to their normal routine. The sex would probably continue when they had the time. But what did she want from him, _right now_?

She wanted to crawl under his skin and not come out for a long time. She wanted to be consumed by him so completely that she could forget what had just happened, and what was going to happen. But how did she ask him that without sounding utterly pathetic?

She didn’t know. But she wanted him, badly. Watching him wander about the living room in his button down and tight pants, watching the way he moved and the planes of his shoulders under his shirt, it turned her on. It had only been her distaste for exhibitionism that had kept her from sleeping with him at the dress shop.

She was willing, that was for sure. She needed to be lost in something other than fear for her life, her physical injuries, her brother. She needed him, if only for a little while.

“Stop staring at me kitten, you’re going to burn holes in my clothes,” Junmyeon said, not looking up from his phone.

“I think they’d look better that way.” She hoisted herself up onto his counter and she watched as his eyebrows furrowed. She knew he wanted to scold her for sitting on the counters. But he just let her lounge back against his cabinets in her meager attempt at a seduction.

“I can’t imagine that I’ll look as imposing as I normally do with raggedy pants.” He turned back to his phone and she tried to stifle the noise of frustration rising in her throat. “Your friend the Ghost thought I was going to have him killed.”

“They all thought you were going to have them killed. You don’t exactly have a reputation for being gentle.” The sore spots on her hips were proof enough of that.  

“I didn’t have you killed for stealing from me, did I?”

“No, you cashed in on my skill set.”

“I still have to find out what else those hands of yours are good for.” His smile was wicked, even as he stared down at his phone.

“Oppa.” She tried not to whine, but it was hard when she wanted him this badly and he was ignoring her.

“Patience, kitten. I have some details I need to iron out.” Still working on his phone, he walked over to her and lifted her off the counters. She wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively to keep him from toppling over. She could feel the smooth lines of his body pressed between her thighs and she wanted him more. He carried her into the bedroom and deposited her on the bed. “I promise, a few more minutes.” Then he left the room, closing the door after him.

After what felt like an agonizingly long time, he came back in, almost diving on top of her as he did.

“Oppa,” Minseok murmured as he propped himself on his elbows above her, “I don’t…I don’t want-”

“Tell me, Minseok.”

“I don’t want this to be fast.”

“I thought you liked it hard.” He fit his hand around her neck gently, as if to remind her how it could feel.

“I do. But today…I want you to fuck me slowly.” It sounded so stupid out loud and she would have rolled over and hidden her face in the pillows if she could have moved. One elegant eyebrow raised, he slid one hand up her side, pushing up the soft cotton material as he went.

“I can do that, kitten. But first.” He reached over her head and pulled the covers down, lifting her up so he could slide them out from under her. “Silk sheets seem like the best surface, don’t they?”

“Mm, let me get the wine and candles.”

He laughed, and it wasn’t the first time she’d heard him laugh, but for some reason, it made her stomach do a gentle flip. That should have been her first sign to put the brakes on everything, but she didn’t.

They finished undressing and then Junmyeon left a trail of hot, wet kisses down her chest, finally settling in between her legs. A tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her not to be surprised that he was so good at this, that he probably had a lot of practice with other women, but that voice was suppressed by how _damn good_ it felt. For a while she kept her hands balled in the silk sheets, but she finally had to give up and tangle her fingers in his steely hair. She tugged on it and he hummed against her, the vibrations making her head fall back.

“Fuck, Junmyeon,” she muttered, starting to wiggle and writhe under his attentions. He was going so achingly slow that she almost couldn’t take it. But she had asked for this, and he was giving her what she had wanted.

Finally, he resurfaced and kissed her open mouth, and she could taste herself on his tongue. She didn’t care, just wanted to grasp onto his shoulders and feel his weight on top of her and the weight between his legs brushing against her belly. She reached down in the narrow gap between their bodies to touch him but he caught her hand before she could.

“No, kitten. Not now.” He smiled down at her with softer eyes than he’d ever looked at her with. “You asked me to fuck you slowly, and I plan on doing so.” She wiggled underneath him and let out a wordless mew, which made him laugh again. “All right, all right.” He fetched the condom from the nightstand and rolled it over himself before repositioning himself on top of her. He kissed her to swallow down the noise she made when he slipped inside.

For a while, Minseok couldn’t have told how long it was, he moved so slowly inside her that it made her want to kill him. Every time she thought she might have been close to finishing, he would slow down even more, barely moving against her. She mewled and begged and still he kept up the slow rhythm.

And then, one of the hands that had been pressed into the bed next to her head closed around her throat, and he began to thrust into her harder, so hard that the headboard smacked into the wall. He was choking her harder this time, fucking her harder, but she didn’t want him to stop.  

“You are _mine_ ,” he growled into her ear. “Mine, and mine only. No one else can have you.” He loosened his grip on her, clearly waiting for an answer.

“Yes, yes,” she panted out, her nails digging into the damp skin of his back.

“Only mine, Minseok.” Then his hand returned to its place and she started to see spots floating over her eyes. The thrusts became more insistent and as he hooked his arm under one of her legs, opening her up to him, they became impossibly deep. She felt her release barreling down on her like a train, and then like a wave crashing against the seawalls it hit her. Her back arched over the bed, pushing her closer to his body even as she wanted to get away from him. It hurt in the delicious way possible and she gave herself up to it. He finished as she was still coming down from her high, still pounding into her as she grew more sensitive to it. She ached by the time he slid out of her. She wasn’t sure she could move, wasn’t sure she even wanted to.

For a long while she stayed still, eyes unfocused and staring up at the ceiling. Junmyeon had thought maybe she was trying to catch her breath, until he realized just how much time had passed.

“Minseok?” She didn’t respond to her name. He reached over and shook her by the shoulder. “Minseok, kitten, come back to me.”

“Mm?” She looked at him, bleary eyed and far away.

“I may have fucked the life out of you.” He chuckled, pulling the covers over her. He was sweating and overheating, but she was shivering a little and he wanted to keep her warm. This wasn’t the first time this had happened with him and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last. At least he had some experience with dealing with it now. He kept her swaddled in the blankets and held her close to his chest, stroking her hair gently until she came back to life in his arms.

“Holy shit,” were the first words she said to him.

“You were gone for a while, kitten.” He kissed the top of her head gently. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Just too blissed out I think.” She seemed to realize she was in his arms just as Junmyeon remembered that she had asked him not to do this. He immediately let go of her, giving her the space to move if she wanted. But she didn’t. Instead, she tucked her face into his neck and sighed softly, breathing him in. Cautiously, he put one arm back around her. She hummed in satisfaction.

“This is all right?”

“Yes, oppa.”

“Beautiful girl.”

“I am, aren’t I?” She started to giggle and he joined in, holding her tighter.

“Yes, kitten. And you’re going to look beautiful in that dress.”

“Where am I even wearing that to?”

“I promise, you’ll find everything out tonight.”

But that was tonight, and she didn’t want to think about business. Not if she could lie in his arms and pretend for just a few minutes that she was Junmyeon’s girlfriend, his only lover. She was sure his demands that she be his only were related to the sex, and that she couldn’t take them seriously. It formed an ache under her sternum, one that she ignored in favor of holding him tighter.

\--

Ten returned to the apartment to find Johnny pacing back and forth in the living room. As soon as the door opened, the blond man’s head snapped up, his eyes lighting up when it was Ten.

“Tennie—"  He reached out for him immediately, running his hands over him as if to check for injuries.

“I’m all right, Johnny.” Ten’s anger had steadily deteriorated on his walk and he wrapped his boyfriend up in a hug.

“I’m sorry I made you leave, I’m just…I’m worried about tonight.”

“You don’t have to be. Come on.” He held his hand out for Johnny, who took it, and then led him down the hall to Taeyong’s office. He slept in there, which technically made it his bedroom too, but since the bed was a futon couch, it was more of an office.

“Taeyong?” Ten rapped on the door with his knuckles.

“Come in.” Taeyong sounded a little more than stressed. He had two handfuls of hair pulled taut, staring at his computer screen.

“Let go of your hair, you’re going to go bald,” Ten said, settling on the edge of the futon. “I have some news.”

“About tonight?” When Ten nodded, Taeyong leaned back in his chair and bellowed, “Jaehyun! Get in here!” Johnny and Ten both winced at the volume his voice had reached.

“What the hell, man?” Jaehyun asked, padding into the office with one fist in his eye, rubbing the sleep out of it. “I was trying to nap.”

“Nap later. Tennie has news.” Taeyong gestured for Ten to go on.

“Johnny and I saw the Cat and her sister at the restaurant the other day. When I went out for a walk, I ran into her and walked her home. Suho and the Cat were at the apartment.” He was heavily editing the story, not wanting to reveal Jongdae’s name or the fact that Junmyeon and Minseok were lovers. “I spoke to both of them about tonight. He promises it’s just a business meeting and she says that she wouldn’t lead us to anything dangerous.”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

“Because we’re friends.” He waited out the chorus of scoffs, then shrugged. “She said it herself. And I believe her. She wouldn’t lead us into a trap and Suho wouldn’t kill us in front of her.”

“Why not?” Taeyong leaned forward, his eyes bright with interest.

“Because…” Ten sighed. He had to tell them. “The Cat is his lover. One of them, anyway. He told me he wouldn’t take her to a killing room.”

“Interesting.” Taeyong and Jaehyun shared a look, one of those looks where they had a whole conversation in just the way they blinked. “She could be our way in if things go south. And the brother.”

“No.” Ten was startled by how adamant he sounded. “She and her brother don’t have anything to do with the upper level. That’s all Suho and Kris.”

“You really care about her, don’t you?” Jaehyun had his arms crossed over his chest, watching Ten closely.

“I couldn’t kill her. When have I ever stayed my hand?” Ten shook his head. “I’ve never let anyone walk away from me with just a minor wound. But I couldn’t hurt her, any more than I could hurt Johnny.”

“Gee, thanks,” Johnny muttered under his breath.

“Well, let’s hope that you’re right, and that we aren’t all going to be executed tonight for you shooting her. If she and Suho are lovers, then he’ll have a higher price on whoever hurt her,” Taeyong commented.

“He didn’t seem upset about that. He didn’t even mention it to me when I saw him.” Ten suppressed a shudder. “He did have something to say about Johnny and me.” Johnny tensed up next to him. “Just…just that he knew we were together, and that we were pretty.”

“Well, he’s been known to take men as lovers,” Jaehyun supplied. “Maybe he thinks you two are hot enough to take to bed.”

“Please, stop talking.” Johnny pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Do you think it’s a good idea for me to go tonight?”

“The invitation was for all of us. I don’t want to risk affronting them by leaving anyone behind.” Taeyong shook his head. “No, everyone comes. Best behavior, sharp dress. If this is business, then we want to look like we’re good enough to be business partners with them.”

“Agreed.” Ten had noticed that even when he was relaxed on the couch, Junmyeon had been wearing a suit and dress shoes. They had to meet his level of professionalism to make a good impression on him and Kris.

“So everything’s really all right,” Johnny said as he and Ten walked back to their room.

“It’s really all right. She feels the same connection that I do. Nothing bad is going to happen to us.”

“You aren’t falling for the Cat, are you?” He knew immediately that the older man was being sarcastic; the curl of his lip was enough to confirm it.

“I can’t say that she’s my type.” He kissed the dimple that had formed on Johnny’s cheek. “Everything will be fine, sweetheart.”

\--

“Ouch!” Minseok yelped and tried to twist away from Yifan’s careful hands as he probed at her stitches. She didn’t get far; Junmyeon was holding her down by the shoulders and getting way too much enjoyment out of it.

“It’ll be just a little bit more and I’ll be done,” Yifan said, carefully dabbing at the inflamed flesh. She hadn’t been bothering to clean it properly or hadn’t been able to by herself, and the stitches were looking irritated.

“God, why couldn’t he have just shot me in the head,” Minseok muttered.

“Be careful what you wish for.” Yifan finished cleaning the wound and as gently as he could dabbed on antibiotic ointment. She hissed and wiggled and tried to get away from him, but Junmyeon was stronger than he looked.

Based on the bite mark on Minseok’s neck, he also had stronger jaws than he looked. Yifan tried to stay out of Junmyeon’s love life as much as he could, if only to preserve his own sanity, but with this he felt like he needed to step in. Not with Minseok. Minseok was a wonderful, if infuriating, mix of tender-heartedness and headstrongness. If he spoke with her about Junmyeon, all that would do is drive her further into Junmyeon’s bed. No, he had to talk to Junmyeon and make it clear that Minseok was not a toy he could play with until he got bored. She was a valuable asset to them and breaking her heart could spell disaster for the whole group.

So he waited until Minseok stepped into the bathroom to clean the tears off her face to turn to Junmyeon and calmly ask, “What are you doing with Minseok?”

“I thought you didn’t like to know that, hyung,” Junmyeon poured himself a drink, avoiding Yifan’s gaze.

“I do when it comes to Minseok. Junmyeon, you can’t play with her like you play with other women. She knows too much about us.”

“Do you think I’m going to break her heart?”

“I’m afraid that you’ll get bored with her like you get bored with every other woman you’ve ever been with and cast her aside.”

“Well, don’t worry hyung. I think she’s going to break _my_ heart.” Junmyeon downed the drink, and before Yifan could ask him what he meant, Minseok was coming back outside, dabbing at her red skin with a damp cloth.

“I’m a mess, but it doesn’t matter. They won’t be looking at me anyway.” Minseok stood on her tiptoes and still just barely managed to graze Yifan’s jaw with her lips. “Thank you, oppa.”

“No problem, Minseok.” Yifan managed a smile for her, even though he was looking over her head at Junmyeon. He had paused in the middle of pushing his gray hair out of his eyes and was looking at Minseok with something like sadness in his eyes. What was going on between them? But as Yifan checked his watch, he found that they didn’t have time to sit down and play group therapy. He hated being late for things, especially when it came to business.

Junmyeon’s driver was waiting for them at the front of the building. Both men allowed Minseok to get in first and she slid into the farthest corner of the limo as she possibly could. Junmyeon, a hurt look on his face, settled near the mini bar. Yifan decided neither option was good and sat near the door.

The ride over was so deathly silent that Minseok almost wanted to scream just to break it. She was purposefully staying away from Junmyeon so Yifan wouldn’t catch on, even though he probably had already. He was perceptive enough that he could probably guess it just based on her body language. And Junmyeon’s, since he was pouting rather openly into his champagne glass. For a crime lord, he certainly didn’t take things well when they didn’t go his way.

The ride was mercifully short. The hotel wasn’t too far away from Junmyeon’s penthouse. Minseok was grateful for the fresh air when she got out, even though the two men whisked her inside before she could really enjoy it. They were still being touchy about her being seen by Kwon’s men, even though she already knew Ten had killed him. She would have called it paranoia if they weren’t protecting her life, and Jongdae’s.

By the time they arrived, NCT was already waiting, all seven of them clustered close together as if the herd would protect them. Minseok caught Ten’s eye and tried to look as soothing as possible. He looked calm, even though his knuckles were probably grinding together from the way his boyfriend was holding his hand. She hadn’t thought he would be this nervous; when she’d seen him at the restaurant, he’d been calm and collected, no emotions on his face at all.

Then she remembered that Ten had been the one to shoot her. Of course his boyfriend was worried. Junmyeon and Yifan were not kind to people who hurt their employees, and if he knew that she’d been sleeping with Junmyeon, he’d be even more worried.

For the first time that night, Minseok was worried. What if Junmyeon intended to have Ten’s boyfriend killed, or injured? He’d promised that he wasn’t going to hurt them, but maybe that only extended to them as a whole. She wished she’d taken that drink that Junmyeon had offered her before Yifan had arrived.

The pretty one looked across the table at Minseok and gave her a predatory smile. Almost immediately it faded, replaced by a look of pain. Based on the expression Taeyong had on his face, he’d just kicked the pretty one under the table. They definitely knew she’d been sleeping with Junmyeon. Her ears turned red under her hair and she wanted to crawl under the table.

“Glad to see that all of you could make it,” Junmyeon said, drawing everyone’s attention to him. He looked utterly at ease, lounging in his chair like a big cat. Yifan at least was sitting normally, but his size and presence made him seem huge and imposing. Minseok wished she’d suggested they serve alcohol at this meeting.

“We couldn’t pass up an invitation to meet with you. It was an honor,” Taeyong said. The way he said it made it seem like he’d been practicing it carefully, going over it in his head to make sure he got it just right.

“Of course.” Junmyeon kicked his legs over the arm of his chair. Minseok wished she could do something other than stare at the delicate ankle it had exposed. For someone with such strength in his body, he had amazing legs. The high-necked shirt she’d gone with for the meeting covered up most of the marks on her throat, but some of the bite mark was still exposed. Still, it was better than his handprint being prominently featured on her neck.

“Your messenger said you wanted to discuss business with us.” Taeyong glanced at her, clearly wondering why she was there. She was wondering the same thing, if she was honest.

“After her run in with your Ghost, we did some research on you and your gang.” Yifan took over, seeing how terrified they were listening to Junmyeon. “We think you could be an asset to our group, all seven of you. Obviously, the Ghost is a capable assassin. You, Taeyong, and Jaehyun,” he gestured towards the one with the reddish hair, “are excellent planners and tacticians. Taeil has a way with the ladies that gets information out, Dongyoung is your best gambler, Mark has a gift for being the inside man. And Johnny,” Yifan shook his head, “your explosives can be marveled at.”

All of them started to relax and even preen under the praise. From a man like Yifan, even a “good job” could feel like the highest praise. “So you want us to join you?” Taeyong asked.

“You would answer to us on jobs, so that it doesn’t endanger you or the group, and we would use each of you individually to your greatest strengths.” Yifan stood up, coming to rest his hand on the back of Minseok’s chair. “This is the Cat, the best burglar we’ve found yet. She stole the diamonds that belonged to Kwon before your Ghost killed him.”

Obviously Ten hadn’t mentioned that he’d shot her while she was escaping with the diamonds, because they all started to look very impressed with her. Minseok just wished they’d all stop staring at her.

“In a few days, another high-level boss, JB, will be having a party at his estate in the countryside. Suho and I have been invited, and we’ll be bringing the Ghost, Taeyong, and Jaehyun with us. We’ll pass it off as a gesture to you for joining our group. While the party is going on, the Cat and the Ghost will make their way through the mansion to where there’s a safe. We’ve already got the combination, but we need someone skilled enough to get in and out without getting caught. The party is a perfect cover for her to get in to the safe. The Ghost will cover her and dispatch anyone who comes near.”

“Is that clear to everyone?” Junmyeon asked in the tone of a teacher who was very tired of having to explain things to his pupils.

“Perfectly.” Taeyong nodded. “How many days until the party?”

“Friday night. Three days.” Junmyeon stood up, stretching. “Hopefully that’s long enough for you three to get decent suits.” The corner of Taeyong’s lip quirked up but he didn’t make any other expression.

“I think we’ll be prepared. Armed or not?”

“Your Ghost definitely. No arms for anyone else. We won’t be searched, but better safe than sorry if someone ends up dead. Ghost, I assume you can get rid of a gun in a hurry?”

“If need be, yes.” Ten shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“We’ll meet again in a few days to go over the details. In the meantime, go downstairs, have some drinks, relax.” Yifan slapped down a stack of bills and sent them off on their way. Everyone, except for Ten, who lingered behind. Minseok stepped forward to talk to him, only to be sidetracked by Junmyeon.

“We need to talk,” he muttered in her ear.

“We will. I promise, but later. Right now, I need to speak with him.” Minseok stared him down until he relented. “I’ll be home tonight. You and Yifan go on without me.”

“You call the driver before you leave,” Junmyeon warned.

“Of course, of course.” He let go of her and led Yifan out of the room, leaving her alone with Ten.

“Hello, friend.” She smiled, leaning against the table. “What’s your boyfriend’s name? I don’t want to be calling him “the tall guy” for the rest of my life.”

“Johnny.” Ten joined her, perching himself up on the table. “Do you want to get some air?”

“I’m not allowed out on the street. But they didn’t say I couldn’t get up onto the roof.” They made their way up to the rooftop swimming pool. Minseok took off her shoes and rolled up the edge of her pant legs so she could dangle her feet in the water. Ten mirrored her and for a moment they just splashed around a little, enjoying the cool water.

“So, Johnny. Good name.” Minseok didn’t know what else to say.

“Good name for a good man.” Ten stared down at his ankles, distorted and bleached by the water.

“Do you love him?”

“Yes.” He answered even before he thought about why she would want to know.

“Good. I’m glad.” She sighed, resting back on her hands. “I really wish you and Jongdae hadn’t seen that earlier. I was trying to keep it under wraps.”

“Dating a man like Suho, I don’t think it was going to stay under wraps for long.”

“We’re not dating. I didn’t even know why he was making me buy a dress until tonight. He doesn’t tell me anything.”

“But do you have feelings for him?”

She blew out a long breath, considering it. “How did you know you loved Johnny?”

“I don’t know, really. Seems like it came on slowly and then it occurred to me that I really did love him.” He snorted. “He wears these stupid plaid lounging around pants that have huge holes in them, and I tried to patch the holes up. It looked awful, I didn’t get the right color plaid and it was all Frankenstein-ed together. But he still liked them. And he wears them still. I think maybe that’s how you know you love someone. When you fuck something up, and they still like it.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “Why all the questions?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I just…want to know what it feels like.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

“No. I didn’t have time for it. My family life was less than great. Jongdae and I were out on the streets for a while. I made barely enough to get us a shithole apartment in the ghetto while he was going to school. Then I stole Junmyeon’s watch at a restaurant and he offered me a job. I’d gotten good at stealing and he had me steal a wallet from someone at a bar. The wallet had names and addresses in it of members of that organization. I got more money from that one job than I probably deserved but it got us into a better place. Jongdae can go to music school. I have time to sleep and relax and not have to worry about how to make the next rent check.”

“And you sleep with one of your bosses.”

“That’s new. The day after you shot me, we started sleeping together.”

“Do you love him?”

“I don’t. But I like him, and that’s dangerous.”

“Because you don’t think he feels the same way?”

“Because he’s not a one-woman kind of man. He’s probably picked up someone already.” Her stomach turned at the thought of them having sex in the bed she’d been sleeping in.

“You do what’s right for you. If he respects you, and I think he does, he’ll respect your wishes if you want to stop.”

“He would. I just don’t know if I want to stop.”

They sat up there for hours talking, eventually laying on their backs to look at the feeble light of the stars coming through the light pollution of the city. Minseok knew she had felt a connection with him, and it grew steadily stronger through the night.

Around midnight, Ten’s phone began to buzz. He accepted the call, pressing the phone to his ear. “Johnny? Yeah, I’m still at the hotel. Okay. Okay. I’ll be home soon. Love you too.”

“Does he want to go to bed?” Minseok asked when Ten sat up and started gathering his things.

“Yeah, he does.” He laughed. “We both like to go to sleep with the other there. Weird couple thing.”

“No, it makes sense to me. There’s something about having another body in the bed with you.”

“I’ll see you soon to go over the plan, I guess.” Impulsively, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Get some rest, Minseok.”

“Get home safely! Kiss Johnny for me!” She called after him. His rings of laughter echoed after him.

Now that she didn’t have any reason to stay at the hotel, she had a problem. She didn’t particularly want to go back to the penthouse, but if she went home he’d be pissed at her.

Finally, she gave up and decided that she was just going to have to talk to him about whatever was bothering him and called the driver to take her back to the penthouse.

When she got back, he was sitting on the couch, a half empty decanter of whiskey in front of him and a glass in his hand. She wondered how much whiskey had been in it originally. He didn’t say a word as she took off her jacket and left her shoes by the door. It wasn’t until she moved towards him that he spoke.

“Did you and the Ghost have a nice chat?” His voice was terse and tight.

She raised an eyebrow. “Ten and I had a good talk. I figured if I was going to work with him closely, I needed to know him.”

“Well, good thing he’s gay then.” Junmyeon lurched out of his seat and she took a reflexive step back. “Do you know what you do to me, Minseok?”

“No. Oppa, maybe you should sit down.” He was swaying back and forth on his feet.

“I don’t want to sit down, I want to talk to you.”

“Okay, let’s talk.” She was half afraid he would fall over the coffee table and half afraid that he would hit her.

“You _ignored_ me.”

“I did. I didn’t want Yifan to find out.”

He flapped a hand at her. “He already knows. Don’t worry about it.”

“Did he say something to you about it?”

“He thinks I’m going to break your heart.”

“You just might,” she murmured softly.

“I think you’re going to break my heart.”

“Why?”

“Because, I told you, you’re mine. Mine only. And if you were with someone else it would break my heart.”

“Oppa, let me get you some water.”

“No, stay here!” It was more pleading than commanding, so she sat down in the armchair and let him loom over her, the alcohol on his breath making her dizzy.

“Oppa, Junmyeon, we aren’t dating. You still see other women, don’t you?” It had only been a few days but she’d known Junmyeon to have an appetite that couldn’t be satisfied by just one woman in a day.

“No Minseok, I don’t—” that was when he covered his mouth with his hand and Minseok very quickly guided him into the bathroom. For the next fifteen minutes she held his hair back from his face and rubbed his back as he retched over and over into the toilet. The very smell of it made her want to throw up herself. Finally, he seemed like he was done and he rolled over, curling into a tight ball on the tiled floor. She lifted his head gently to rest it on her leg so he didn’t have to put it on the cold floor.

For a while, he just lay there trying to work through the shivers and catch his breath, and Minseok just combed her fingers through his hair. This was a Junmyeon she had never seen before. She’d never seen him vulnerable before. She’d seen him kind, seen him angry, seen him benevolent, but never vulnerable. She’d thought it was a part of him that didn’t exist. And maybe it didn’t, unless he drank too much. Or until someone made him feel vulnerable.

Did he really mean what he had said when he said it would break his heart to see her with someone else? He was in no condition to ask now. It was all she could do to get him to rinse out his mouth and wipe his face, and then help him hobble to bed. She was planning on putting a trashcan next to the bed and going back to her apartment to sleep when he grabbed at her wrist.

“No, stay,” he mumbled, eyes half open.

“Oppa, you’re not in a good way.” She didn’t want him to wake up and start ranting again in the middle of the night.

“Stay, Minseok.” Her heart softened when she saw his face.

“All right, if you want me to stay I’ll stay.” She stripped for bed and climbed in next to him, settling her body next to his. He was cold and clammy, shivering under the covers. She wrapped one arm over his waist, holding him up against her so he could get warm. He had done it for her earlier; it was the least she could do for him now.

She barely slept, puzzling through the situation for most of the night. What did he want from her? And more importantly, was she willing to give it?

\--

Junmyeon could hear someone in his bathroom, and based on the emptiness behind him, he knew that Minseok had gotten up. Beyond that, he couldn’t make his head stop spinning long enough to think about anything. Why did he drink all that whiskey last night?

Oh. Right. Minseok. He stuffed his face back into the pillow. He didn’t have the energy to deal with anything, let alone his hangover or his heartsickness.

The door opened softly, barely whispering over the carpet, and he heard Minseok’s light footsteps as she came out. He risked opening his eyes to take a peek and saw her wrapped in one of his fluffy towels, her hair wet and slicked back from her face. He felt a little bit like a pervert, even though he’d already seen Minseok naked. But it was different to watch her without her knowing, to watch her dig through her bag and pull on a pair of lavender colored underwear on under her towel, to watch the way her back moved as she pulled on a t-shirt, no bra underneath. She had been skinny once, but as she walked back into the bathroom for a moment, he could see where she had filled out. Her legs were strong, her hips starting to round out. The scar on her calf from where Yifan had dug out the bullet the first time she’d been shot didn’t even mar her legs.

She paused briefly on the threshold of the bathroom to towel her hair off and then turned towards the bed. Junmyeon hurriedly shut his eyes and held still, trying to regulate his breathing so she would think he was still asleep. She climbed in from the other side of the bed, not coming too close but he could feel the warmth of her body, could smell his soap on her.

Then she ruffled his hair gently. “Oppa, I know you’re not asleep.”

He still made a show of stretching and yawning as he rolled over to face her. She was looking at him with a wry smile on her face.

“Good morning, Minseok,” he said.

“Good afternoon, more like. How are you feeling?”

“I’m hungover, that’s for sure.”

“I figured you would be.” She hesitated, twirling a piece of damp hair around her finger. She didn’t want to be the first one to broach the subject, but she needed to know where they stood, or she’d go insane. She’d spent most of her shower trying to figure out how to talk to him about this. But if she didn’t do it now, she would never get another chance like this. Junmyeon was still open and vulnerable, without the shields he put up in the rest of his life.

“Oppa, we need to talk about last night,” she said finally, propping her head up on one hand.

“I don’t remember a lot of what I said. I was pretty drunk by the time you came home.” It wasn’t much of a lie. He remembered the gist of the words, but not the way he’d said them.

“You told me that if I was with someone else, it would break your heart.”

He was silent for a long time and finally admitted, “It would.”

“I’m not going to be a toy, Junmyeon. You can’t keep me for yourself, locked in a toy chest and take me out when you feel like playing with me. I can’t be that person for you.”

“I don’t want you to be that person.”

“Junmyeon, I know you. I’ve watched you fuck so many women that their faces all blur together. I know you keep more than one around at a time. I know and I’ve seen it and you’ve tortured me with it for two years before you decided it was time to play with me.”

“Are you angry at me for sleeping with you?”

“I’m angry at myself. I knew who you were before I went to bed with you and I can’t expect you to be a different person afterwards.”

“Minseok, look at me.” She turned her angry eyes on him and he nearly flinched at the weight of them. “I waited two years for you, because I needed you to trust me. I needed you to know me. I needed you to be close to me, so that I could do this and not chase you away. I don’t ever want anyone else to have you, because I want to have you.”

“I’m not your type, Junmyeon. I’m not tall and slender and beautiful.”

“No, but you’re strong, and smart, and fierce. You don’t think I could have been dating one of those women if I wanted them? But I didn’t want them. They held me over until you were ready.” He pushed himself up, groaning when his head spun. “I want you, Minseok. Not as a toy, not as a plaything. I want you to live here with me and decorate this place and I want to buy you those silly animal slippers you like and those beautiful dresses that you think don’t suit you and take care of you.”

She was silent for a long time. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, even as much as she wanted to. Junmyeon had just exposed his heart to her and she couldn’t say anything. Everything she had prepared was useless now. She had thought that he wanted her to belong to him, and him not to her. But he seemed to be giving himself over to her. It was more power than she had ever thought she could hold in her hands.

“Minseok, please, say something.” Junmyeon’s voice was pleading.

“I can’t say anything Junmyeon. I’m…I’m overwhelmed. I didn’t think this was what you wanted. It’s like when you want something so badly that when it’s finally in your hands you don’t know what to do with it.”

That seemed to be enough and he blew out a long sigh of relief. Carefully, as to not disturb his head, he wrapped her up in his arms, burying his face in her damp hair. “We’ll figure out what to do with it.”

She let herself melt into him, tucking her face into his neck. _Mine_. _Only mine_. She pressed a gentle kiss to his neck before opening her mouth and sucking hard on the delicate flesh there. He jerked at the sudden sensation, but let her finish marking him.

“Mine only, Junmyeon.” She stared hard into his eyes until he nodded. “Now, I think we need to deal with your hangover. I’ll make you some tea.” She slipped out of the bed, padding over to the kitchen.

She had just marked one of the biggest crime lords in Korea as her own, had accepted being his. She needed to move Jongdae soon, and make sure that he was always guarded. If she was going to be Suho’s woman, her brother was going to become a target. As she waited for the water to boil, she started thinking of better neighborhoods, ways to keep Jongdae under supervision at all times.

The screech of the kettle brought her out of her plans and she poured a cup of tea for Junmyeon. On her way past the refrigerator, she grabbed a bottle of water, and an apple for herself. Laden with her goodies, she returned to the bedroom. Junmyeon had propped himself up on the pillows and was covering his eyes with one hand. With his free hand he accepted the tea. Minseok was careful not to jostle him as she climbed back in, settling the water bottle between them. The crunch of the apple between her teeth made him glance over at her. A smile bloomed on his face as he watched her take another bite.

“I’ve always loved how much you like food,” he explained.

“When you grow up hungry, you learn to love food when you can get it.” She offered the apple to him and he shook his head.

“Not sure my stomach can take it yet.” He took a sip of the tea, wincing when it was still too hot. “Why was I so upset?”

“I stayed behind to talk to Ten after the meeting. We were gone for hours and I guess in that time you’d worked yourself up.”

“Oh, I remember. I wanted to talk to you and you stayed behind and I went a little bit nuts.”

“Sorry sweetheart.” She finished the apple and got up to throw away the core. As she moved, her ass was exposed to him and he swatted at her. She jumped away from him, landing on all fours on the floor. “You must be feeling better if you’re making ass grabs.”

“I get to have my hands on you.” He shrugged. “Besides, you should know me by now. I can’t be around a half dressed woman and not go a little crazy.”

“I’ll put pants on before I come back to bed.” She disposed of the apple core and returned to the bedroom without making good on her threat. It was too warm under the covers for long pants. He’d finished his tea and set the cup on the nightstand, moving the water bottle out from between them. He lay flat on his back and pulled her on top of him, careful not to grab at her stitches. His heart pounded just below her ear. She closed her eyes, just listening to his heart.

“Do you want to do anything today?” His fingers brushed at the nape of her neck, playing with the ends of her hair.

“I have to go see Jongdae at some point. He’s upset with me.” He grumbled softly and she laughed. “You should rest, oppa. You’re sick.”

“I’ll live.” He hitched one of her legs up around his hip, running his hand over the scar on her calf. A parting shot as she escaped up a ladder, the bullet had sunk deep into the flesh of her leg. She’d barely been able to hobble back to the penthouse to be patched up. She’d screamed so much when Yifan had started pulling the bullet out that Junmyeon had been forced to gag her.

She hooked her other leg around his hip so that she could rest on him more comfortably. The soft swells of her breasts were squished flat against the plane of his chest and she had to sit up to adjust them. Of course, that drew his attention to them and he had to give them a quick squeeze.

“I like you like this, all soft.” He ran his hands down her sides, resting on her thighs. “I like seeing you healthy and softer, not all sharp angles like you were before.”

“I’ll leave those angles to you.” She traced the line of his collarbone. She liked being cradled against his body like this, even though she had a feeling where they were going. Not that she minded, really. A roll in the sack might help relax her before she went to talk to Jongdae.

So she didn’t protest when Junmyeon started pulling her shirt up, didn’t object when he started kissing her. It was slower, gentler than before. With the way she was positioned on top of him, it wasn’t hard for her to grind her hips down onto his. The satisfying hiss he’d let out made her repeat the motion.

“Minseok, you’re killing me.” He groaned out, clutching her tighter to him. The more she rocked against him, the tighter he held her and the more she felt him harden up underneath her. She gave him an openmouthed kiss as he hooked his fingers in his waistband. As soon as his sleeping pants were off, he sprang free and she could feel him pushing up against her.

“Make love to me, Junmyeon.” She murmured. Slowly, he rolled her over onto her back, cupping her cheek with one hand.

“Gladly.”

\--

Jongdae was stretched out on the couch, his ankle propped up on a pillow when the front door opened. He tensed for a moment, but at the sight of his sister she relaxed, if only a bit. He was surprised to see that Junmyeon wasn’t trailing her sister like a dog on a leash, although Minseok was probably the one on a leash.

“Hey, Jongdae.” Minseok dropped her bag by the front door, discarding her shoes as well. Jongdae purposefully didn’t answer, turning back to the drama he was watching. Not that he was really watching it; he’d been channel flipping when Minseok had come in and now he needed an excuse to ignore her. And it worked, at least until Minseok snatched the remote out of his hand and turned the TV off. “I know you, Jongdae. The last thing you like is a drama. We need to talk.”

“I don’t have anything else to say. You’re making a huge mistake with Junmyeon-hyung, and its going to affect all of us.”

“Is it going to affect all of us? Really? What does it have to do with you?” Minseok crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, that’s right, it doesn’t, unless you’re concerned about the money coming in.”

“Minseok, I don’t care about the money. But if you and Junmyeon go south, it could end badly.”

“He wouldn’t kill either of us for me leaving and you know that.”

“No, I really don’t.”

“Then obviously you don’t know him well enough to be passing judgment on him.” She pushed her hair out of her eyes and the light caught on the bracelet around her wrist.

“What is that?” Jongdae sat up, holding his sister’s wrist so she could look at it. It looked vintage, with its links made up of pearls, diamonds, and sapphires. When she turned her wrist a little, Jongdae could see the logo on it: Chanel.

“A present from Junmyeon.” Minseok adjusted the bracelet, admiring the way it fit her wrist. He’d presented it to her just before she left.

“Gotta keep your kept woman happy.”

“Girlfriend, actually.” Minseok slammed her way into her bedroom, her good mood quickly deteriorating.

“You’re his girlfriend?” Jongdae called after her, a little slower-moving because of his ankle.

“Yes, I am. He made a promise to me, and I made a promise to him. I’m the only one for him.” Minseok lifted her chin defiantly. “He wants me to move into the penthouse with him.”

“Are you going to do it?”

“Jongdae, we couldn’t live together forever. Eventually one of us was going to have to move out. Now the time table is just a little faster.”

“You’re rushing into this, noona. You don’t know if it’s going to work with you two or not.”

“No, I don’t. But two years ago I made a leap of faith that saved us. I’m ready to take another one.”

Jongdae knew when he was beat. Minseok was not going to be talked out of this, not by him, and certainly not by anyone else. “So what will you do?”

“I’ll start looking for a place for you in a better neighborhood. We’ll sell this apartment and use the money from it and my last job to get you a good place and a good nest egg. And I’ll move in with Junmyeon and keep working so that you never have to worry about money.”

“One day you’re going to have to let me stand on my own feet.”

“You stood on them for long enough when you were too young to be expected to. Let me take care of you, Jongdae. It’s what I need to do. I’m wired that way.”

Jongdae hugged his sister, loosening his grip when he heard the hiss of pain Minseok let out. “Always my protector.”

“Always. Monsters under the bed or monsters on the street, I will always protect you.” She hesitated for a moment. “What are you doing Friday night?”

“Rehearsal, and then I’m coming home. Why?”

“I have a job I have to do that night. Something big, I don’t know the details yet but I’ll be out of the city. I don’t want you here alone while I’m gone.”

“I’ve been alone while you’ve been working before.”

“Not like this. I want to have someone stay with you. One of Ten’s friends, maybe.”

“I don’t need to be babysat.”

“But you don’t want me to get gray hairs either, do you?” Minseok chucked her younger brother under the chin. “I won’t be able to focus unless I know you’re safe.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll let you find me a babysitter. But at least make him cute.”

“I’ll do my best. Now go lie down, I need to make a call.” Minseok shooed her brother out of her room and then curled up on her bed. It was strange to be here after spending so much time in the penthouse. Her bed felt almost foreign now. But maybe soon it wouldn’t be her bed anymore. She’d be living in a penthouse, swaddled in silk sheets and pampered by Junmyeon. She held her bracelet up to the light, enjoying the way it caught the light. Life could be incredible very soon.

\--

Ten groaned and slapped at his phone to make it stop ringing. He didn’t want to talk to anyone, he was too tired. When he’d gotten back to the apartment, Taeyong and Jaehyun had been wasted and hadn’t gone to bed until early in the morning. Whoever it was, he didn’t want to talk to them.

The phone rang again and he seriously considered shooting it. Instead, he looked at the caller ID this time and saw that it was Minseok calling.

“This better be important,” he growled into the phone.

“Hello to you too.” She chuckled. “It is. It’s about the night of our job.”

“What about it?”

“If all of us are going to be out of the city, Jongdae is going to be unprotected. Are any of your boys going to be free that night to watch him?”

“Isn’t Jongdae like, 21?”

“What’s your point? He’s not like us, Tennie. If someone attacks him, he’s dead. He can’t defend himself.”

“So he needs a babysitter bodyguard?”

“Something like that. Can you help me? I don’t want to leave him with some thug of Junmyeon’s that I’ve never met.”

He tried to clear his bleary mind and think of who was going to be around. Dongyoung would probably be out gambling, as it was the best night of the week to do it. Mark, Taeil, and Johnny would probably be around, although Johnny would be biting his nails with worry if he knew his boyfriend. “I think some of us will be around.”

“Could you get them to meet him at the rehearsal space and then take him back to your place? I don’t even want him in our apartment until we’re back in the city.”

“You’re very protective of her.”

“She’s the most important person in my life. Wouldn’t you do the same for Johnny?”

“I would. I’ll talk to them and get back to you, all right?”

“Thanks Tennie. I’ll talk to you later.” They said goodbye and Tennie heaved himself off the bed. Taeil and Mark were sitting on the couch watching some Thai game show called _Killer Karaoke._ Some poor woman was being suspended above a tank of water full with snakes and alligators and god knows what else. Ten wondered what the waiver system was like in Thailand.

“So, what are you guys doing Friday night?” Ten asked, perching on the edge of the couch.

“Missing the best party of the year, apparently,” Taeil said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Minseok just called me. She needs a favor.” Both of them swung their heads toward him, eyes confused. “The Cat, it’s her name.”

“What favor does she need from us? Don’t you think Suho could take care of it?” Jaehyun asked.

“She needs someone to stay with her brother while we’re all out of the city. She’s worried about him being a target while we’re doing the job. And she wants one of us to do it so she doesn’t have to leave her brother with some random thug.”

“Is the brother hot?” Of course, that was Taeil’s concern.

Ten considered it for a moment. “He looks a lot like Minseok. More solid and more masculine, obviously. He’s a singer.”

Taeil looked interested. “You in?” He asked Mark.

“What the hell, I don’t have anything better to do than watch you make an ass of yourself. Count me in.” Mark shrugged.

“Great. You’ll like Jongdae, he’s sweet,” Ten said.

“You know them pretty well, huh.” Mark cleaned his glasses with the edge of his shirt.

“Not really. I mean, I know Minseok, but Jongdae seems nice from what I’ve seen.” Ten shrugged. “We’re in this together now. Might as well help her out.” He stood up to go back inside to call Minseok back.

“Aren’t you going to ask Johnny?” Taeil hooked his thumb over his shoulder to where Johnny was sunning himself on the balcony.

“Johnny will be ripping his hair out of his scalp all night. I don’t think he’s going to be in much shape for a babysitting job.” Ten shook his head, walking back to his room.

He called Minseok back and she picked up almost immediately. “Are they in?” She asked.

“Mark and Taeil will look after her. Just give me the details about where they need to be and when and I’ll pass it on to them.”

“Great, I’ll see what Jongdae’s schedule is.”

“Oh, and tell him to bring a weapon. Taeil’s a little…flirty.”

“He’s stronger than he looks. He could probably kick him through a wall, if Taeil’s the pretty one who leered at me yesterday.”

He laughed at the description. “Yeah, that would be him. Just warn Jongdae.”

“I will. Thanks again for helping me out.”

“Friends look after each other.” His voice softened and he knew that she was smiling on the other end.

“The Ghost and the Cat, a deadly pair.” She chuckled. “All right. I’ll see you soon.”

Ten wondered if maybe she was being overprotective of Jongdae, having him be guarded while she was out of town. But if she and Junmyeon were together, even if it was just for sex, he could see how Minseok would worry about her brother becoming a target.

Not that she was much better off with Taeil and Mark. Taeil would probably try to play strip poker with her and Mark would start playing with matches. It would be a disaster and probably make Jongdae lose his mind, but he’d be safe while they were off robbing someone in the countryside.

\--

When Minseok returned to the penthouse, Junmyeon was lying on the couch with a cool cloth over his eyes. Yifan, sitting quite properly in the armchair, was sipping from a tea cup that looked impossibly small in his hands.

“Hello oppa,” Minseok said, dropping her bag in the corner. Junmyeon stirred slightly at the sound of her voice, but didn’t remove the cloth.

“Hello Minseok.” Yifan smiled at her blandly. “How are you?”

“I’m all right. I just checked on Jongdae, he turned his ankle in rehearsal so he has to stay off it.” Minseok was incredibly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Yifan was too calm and Junmyeon still hadn’t said a word.

“I see that you both have matching marks now.” Yifan lifted his cup to his lips, taking a casual sip. Minseok wanted to crawl under the coffee table and die. But there was no hiding it. The hickey he’d left on her had started to fade, but his was bright red and obvious.

“Fair’s fair,” Minseok said weakly.

“I suppose it is. The one he left on you is much worse.” Finally, he turned to look at her and she could see the mischievous smile on his face.

“Jesus, oppa,” she sighed, relaxing. “I thought you were really mad at me.”

“As long as you’re all right.” He held her gaze for a long moment, making absolutely sure she was all right.

“See, I told you, hyung,” Junmyeon said from under his compress.

“You couldn’t just take his word for it?” Minseok didn’t think she was really worth fact checking over, but clearly Yifan did care about her.

“I have to check. It’s my job.” Yifan shrugged. “I brought you the architect’s plans for Suho’s mansion. The notes from our informant are inside the tube.”

“Thank you oppa. Where’s the office, is it marked?”

“Fourth floor, east wing of the house. You’ll be able to see where it is.” He stood up, towering over Minseok. “I’ll leave the whiny baby to you.”

“I am not whiny!” Junmyeon protested. Yifan rolled his eyes in the most dignified way possible and then exited the penthouse. As soon as the elevator doors closed behind him, Minseok collapsed into the armchair.

“He scared the hell out of me.” She sighed, covering her eyes with one hand. “I thought he was mad at me.”

“Trust me, when Yifan is mad at you, you’ll know.” Junmyeon peeled the compress back from his eyes, wincing at the intrusion of the light. “I’m miserable.”

“Who told you to drink all that whiskey last night?”

“I was upset and drowning my troubles in alcohol. All the greats do it.”

“And all the greats have hangovers the next day too. Have you been drinking water?”

“A little. I feel sick.”

“I remember when Jongdae used to get the stomach flu, our mother would make him this special folk remedy to settle his stomach. Used to turn mine, but I’m sure I remember how to make it.” She moved to get up and the look of panic on Junmyeon’s face made her laugh and settle back in.

“You never talk about your mom.”

“Why would I have? You were my boss until about two hours ago.”

“What was she like?” He scooted down the couch so that she could sit next to him. She lifted his head into her lap, putting the compress back over his eyes.

“My memories of her aren’t very clear. She died when Jongdae was six and I was…ten. She had long hair and she smelled like kimchi from the restaurant she worked in. Jongdae looks a lot like her, I think.” She shrugged, even though he couldn’t see it. “She took care of us, tried to make ends meet. She taught me how to beg. My father taught me how to steal.”

“And that talent brought you to me.”

“It’s not exactly a fairy tale, Junmyeon.”

“No, but it is your story. You brought your brother up from rags to riches. Sounds like a fairy tale to me.”

“A fairy tale with theft.” She snorted, running her palm over the top of his head. “What’s in that safe, anyway? More diamonds?”

“Inside the safe is the key to their organization. We get it, we pull them apart from the inside before they even know it. Once they’re gone, we barely have any competition.”

“Sounds important. And you already have the safe combination?”

“The informant is sure about it. You and the Ghost get in, get the key, and get out as fast as you can. The less time you’re missing from the public eye, the more suspicious you become.”

“I’ll do my best.” She ran her finger over the mark she’d left on his neck, trying not to smile when he twitched under her touch. “Does that hurt?”

“No. Kind of a turn on, actually. Sort of like the way you get when I put my hand on your throat.”

She turned bright red, from her cheeks to her ears. “Shut up.”

“Why does that turn you on so much, Minseok? I never pegged you for one of those kinky types.” He was smirking and she wanted to smack it right off his face.

“It’s not _kinky_. It’s just a…a trust thing.”

“Trust?”

“Don’t sound so incredulous. I trust you not to choke me to death when I let you do that. I trust you enough to give you control of me like that.”

“I never thought of it that way.”

“Of course not, because your mind is in the gutter.”

“And it’s going to stay there for as long as you’re mine. Get used to it!” The cackle he let out made her laugh so hard tears practically streamed down her face. He squeezed his arms around her middle, careful to avoid her stitches. “What do you say we go take a nap?”

“Are you actually going to nap now or are you going to try to get down my pants again?”

“I threw up again while you were gone, I don’t think I’m in any shape for that. Let’s sleep.” So she let him lead her to the bed and curled up next to him, finally willing to be held by him. They spent a drowsy afternoon like that, talking sometimes, sleeping sometimes, and sometimes just lying there saying nothing at all.

\--

“Holy shit,” was the first thing Ten said when he walked into the penthouse. Junmyeon had arranged for Ten to be allowed up to the penthouse by the doorman so Minseok wouldn’t have to go down and risk being seen. She was starting to wonder if her going into hiding had more to do with Junmyeon wanting to keep her all to himself than keeping her safe. Not that she minded really. She’d been enjoying spending time with him, learning more about him. Even if he kept trying to pry details of her life out that she didn’t want to tell.

But today it was just her and Ten in the penthouse. Junmyeon had a meeting to attend and had left her alone to go over the plans with Ten. Tomorrow night they’d be at JB’s mansion and she wanted to go over the easiest ways to the fourth floor with him before they were there.

“I know. I was shell-shocked the first time I saw it too.” She gestured for him to make himself comfortable in the armchair. She’d spread the plans out across the coffee table, a silver pen at the ready to mark their plan of entry.

“Kind of kicks the shit out of my apartment.” He shucked his jacket, revealing the holster strapped to his chest.

“I didn’t think you wore holsters.”

“Only if the jacket I’m wearing can’t hold the gun comfortably.” He took the gun out of its holster and put it on the table. Then he moved it to the floor. “Fuck, where can I put this?”

“I’ll put it with mine.” She kept it in her bag in the bedroom, where she didn’t have to look at it. “Do you want a cup of tea?”

“Sure.” She put the kettle on before returning to the couch.

“How’s Johnny?”

“He’s good. Going to be bald if he keeps worrying so much and pulling at his hair, but he’s worried about every job I go on.”

“We’ll have protection with us. Apparently, the rest of EXO is going to make an appearance.”

“How many are there?”

“Five. I’ve never met the other three. I work with Kris and Suho the most.” She rolled her eyes. “I mean Yifan and Junmyeon.”

“How are you and Junmyeon?” He raised one eyebrow meaningfully.

“We’re good. Really good.” She presented her wrist with the beautiful Chanel bracelet on it.

“Wow, that’s a really nice getting together present. I think I bought Johnny a beer.”

“Well, after this you’ll probably be able to buy him whatever he wants.” The kettle screamed and she poured two cups of tea, carrying them out to the living room. He accepted one, joining her on the couch to look over the plans. The pertinent ones she’d pulled from the tube were the first and fourth floor plans.

“We’ll probably be here.” He tapped the large room on the first floor. “Looks like a ballroom sort of thing.”

“I’d put my money on it too.” She marked the ballroom with a silver X. “We need to get upstairs and into that office with the least amount of people seeing us.”

They studied the plans for a moment before Ten tapped the staircase towards the back of the house. “I don’t know if they’ll have anyone guarding this staircase back here. We can slip down the hallway and get up that way.”

“And it’s close to the office.” She marked the path with her pen, chewing on the end of it. “If they are guarding that staircase, we’re fucked. No other way up without being seen.”

“I thought that’s what I was there for, to pick off anyone who might get in your way.”

She shook her head. “No, that’s the easiest way for us to be discovered, someone finding a dead body. I want to do this with the least amount of bloodshed possible.”

“What’s this?” He leaned over the plan, trying to read the tiny print. “Is that a dumbwaiter?”

“It could be.”

“You think you’re small enough to fit in it?”

“I doubt it. Maybe two years ago when I was skin and bones. But that’ll be our plan B.” She marked it on the plan. The dumbwaiter led to the kitchen on the second floor. If they were guarding the staircase on the first floor, she would be able to get up that way and then take the stairs.

“And what do we do if there’s someone in the office?”

“Then we shoot him. The chances of someone checking the office while we’re all still there is very slim. They won’t find the body until later and we’ll be long gone by then.”

“You’re good at planning this.”

“Hey, at least this job has stairs. They had me scale a building once.” That one had been a little scary. Even with the hooks and the harness and the moonless night, she’d been terrified of being caught or falling. The briefcase full of cash she’d left with had been well worth it, even though her knees felt like water by the time she got back to the ground.

“Are you scared?”

“Yes. I always am. But fear and adrenaline give you an edge. They make you more perceptive, more careful.” She shrugged. “Junmyeon wouldn’t send me in if he thought there was a chance I would get caught.”

Ten’s phone buzzed in his pocket. When he checked it, he snorted. “Apparently our suits are in. Taeyong took what Junmyeon said about looking sharp very seriously.”

“I think he’ll be happy to hear that.” She chewed on her lip, hesitating for a moment.

Ten picked up on it pretty easily. “What, Minseok?”

“Apparently I’m going as your date, not Junmyeon’s.”

“Why me?”

“Because it might look slightly less suspicious if both of us are missing as a couple than you disappearing with Junmyeon’s date. They might think we got a little too buzzed and snuck off to have sex or something.”

“Well, I’m not so gay that I can’t act like I’m into a woman.” He shrugged. “Junmyeon’s not going to hit me, is he?”

“No, it was his idea to start with. He wants to draw the least amount of attention to us.”

“All right. Are we done? Taeyong wants me to come home and try the suit on so he can make sure I look good in the suit.” He rolled his eyes.

“I’m sure you’ll look fine, Tennie honey.” Her voice turned sickeningly sweet at the end. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, oppa!”

“If you do that, I swear I will break up with you there.” He still laughed, his smile crinkling his eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll be the man in black.” He collected his gun and went on his way.

Once he was gone, Minseok went into the bedroom to try on her dress. Junmyeon had had it cleaned and pressed after he’d bought it and it had arrived earlier that day. It really was a beautiful dress, and because the material was so light it clung to what little curves she had, making her look more rounded and womanly.

He’d also brought her the gift of a pair of heels that were probably more expensive than she wanted to know. They were gold and strappy and made her legs look miles long. Looking at herself in the mirror, she could almost convince herself that she was really beautiful.

“Couldn’t wait?” Junmyeon asked. She flushed red, embarrassed that she hadn’t even heard the elevator doors.

“I just wanted to see what it looked like together,” she replied.

“Well, you don’t have quite all the pieces yet.” He produced a large jewelry box from the shopping bag in his hand.

“Junmyeon, you didn’t.” She recognized the label on the box and it cost more than the apartment she and Jongdae lived in.

“I did. Close your eyes.” She did as she was told and waited as he opened the box. Something metal and heavy settled around her neck and he adjusted it so there was something heavy hanging in the front. “You can open them now.”

She opened her eyes and saw a thick rose gold chain wrapped around her neck, a heavy padlock in the same color hanging at the front. It looked beautiful with the dress and up against her skin tone.

“Thank you, oppa,” she said, touching the padlock gently. It was cool to the touch, but she was sure she’d get used to it.

“If I have to let you go to that party on some other man’s arm, I want you to have this to remind you.” He held up the key to the padlock. She hadn’t realized it actually unlocked, but it appeared to be the only way to get the necklace on and off.

“So I get to wear a collar and chain?” She asked drily as he unlocked the necklace from her neck.

“You wear something that reminds you who you belong to.” He nuzzled his face against her neck. “If you want, I’ll wear one too.”

“I think we’d look a little gaudy, oppa.” She picked up the necklace, feeling the weight of it in her hands. “I do like it.”

“I’m glad.” He tucked it carefully back in its box for safekeeping.

“Can you unzip me? I’m afraid of ripping a stitch trying to wiggle back there.”

“Of course.” He planted a kiss on her shoulder as he unzipped it and then helped her step out of it. He hung it up, ever careful about clothing, and then turned back to her, surveying her in just her underwear and the heels. “Well now I know what to look forward to when we get home.”

She snorted in a very unladylike manner, slipping the heels off. “Probably you’ll get me home and I’ll fall right asleep.”

“That’s fine too.” He grinned like a little boy and her heart melted. “Whatever way I can have you, kitten.” She shuffled over to him in her bare feet and wrapped her arms around him, slipping her hands under his jacket. He was warm and smelled like that cologne of his that she liked and he was _hers_. She broke away and fetched the necklace from its box, locking it around his neck. He let her do it, and let her hold him at arm’s length as she surveyed him.

“You know, there might be some merit to having you wear one of these. Just so every woman there knows you belong to someone.” She unlocked it rather grudgingly, tucking it back in the box. When she turned back to him, he was looking at her through the bits of gray hair that had fallen in front of his face.

“Get dressed. I’m taking you out to dinner.” He patted her on the ass to get her moving. She laughed and danced away from him, towards her bag. When he acted like this, it was easy to forget who they were, and what they were going to do the next night. He didn’t have to be Suho, and she didn’t have to be the Cat. They were just Junmyeon and Minseok, two lovers.

\--

“Will you stop making that face, Minseok?” Yifan said, looking at her across the limo. “You’re going to make the champagne curdle.”

“I said I was sorry,” Junmyeon supplied. She scowled at him, arms crossed over her chest. Just for effect, she leaned more into Ten. He looked a little uncomfortable at her contact.

“After Misuk, I thought you were done letting strange ladies jump me,” she snapped back. “She _violated_ me.”

“What did she do to you?” Ten asked.

“She yanked my legs apart like chopsticks and _waxed_ me. And then she _plucked me_ like I was a fresh chicken and painted my face. And when I tried to tell her not to, she said _he_ had told her to.” She stuck her tongue out at Junmyeon, who held his hands up helplessly.

“I said I was sorry, kitten. What else do you want?” Junmyeon was pouting at her but she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.

“To not be a bald cat.” She could still feel a little bit of stick when she let her legs fall together. Taeyong and Jaehyun, who’d been watching the bickering, shared a look, wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

“You do look beautiful though.” Ten tried, gesturing at her face. It was the first time he’d ever seen Minseok wear makeup and she looked pretty. The only thing he didn’t understand was the huge chain around her neck and the fat padlock, but when he glanced over at Junmyeon, he thought he saw a small key sticking out of the top of his dress shirt. It became very clear very quickly. He was surprised Johnny hadn’t branded him yet with something, he could get so jealous sometimes.

Still, Minseok glared at Junmyeon, who looked about ready to pull his hair out. She was mostly upset about the waxing; Junmyeon hadn’t seemed to have a problem with the state of her body hair before and now she was as bald as a newborn. She didn’t like it at all. Especially since the underwear she was wearing with this dress was rubbing against her in the most uncomfortable way. At least she’d been able to avoid the corset the woman had wanted to put her in because of her stitches.

“Will you two go into the corner and talk it out?” Yifan checked his watch. “It’s at least another half hour until we get to the mansion and I will not be dealing with you until then.”

With a huff, Minseok lifted herself over Ten’s lap to go into the corner. Junmyeon carefully crossed the limo to sit next to her.

“I’m sorry Minseok. She has a set thing she does for everyone and I didn’t think that was going to be it.” Junmyeon murmured in her ear.

“A _stranger_ had me put my ass in the air to put hot wax on it, Junmyeon. This is not okay.”

“Would you have preferred if it was me?”

That managed to get a snorting laugh out of her. “Everything is sticky.”

“It’s the wax. I’ll give you a bath when we get home if you want. Wash all this out of your hair.” He touched the end of her hair, which had been curled and hairsprayed into submission.

“Can’t. I have stitches, remember?”

“How come you’re more upset with me for having a stylist wax you than you are at Ten for shooting you?”

“Because Ten is not my boyfriend, that’s why.”

“You are the craziest woman I have ever met.”

“I have to be crazy to put up with you.”

“Minseok, do not test me.” The edge in his voice had her sitting up straight. “You keep talking to me like that and I will take you over my knee until you behave.” The thought of him spanking her was at once infuriating and erotic. She didn’t think she wanted to find out what it would feel like to get spanked.

So she took a deep breath and said, “I’ll behave. I have a job to focus on.”

“Yes you do. And then you’re going to come back to me and I’m going to make it up to you.” He ghosted his lips over her neck, just under her jaw where she was most sensitive.

She was quickly deflating and she wanted to curse him for it. He knew how to push her buttons too well and he hadn’t even had time to really learn where they were. He was too quick of a learner for her taste.

“Are you done now?” Yifan let out a long-suffering sigh. She wondered how he was going to survive her and Junmyeon being together.

“We’re done.” Junmyeon kissed her cheek gently, careful not to mess up her makeup. She squeezed his fingers in response.

For the rest of the ride, Junmyeon tapped out various rhythms on her knee and she closed her eyes, walking herself through the blueprints of the house. She had forced herself to memorize the different rooms and where the stairs and windows were. She wanted to be well-prepared in case things went south. She wanted to return Ten to Johnny in one piece, and she wanted to go back to Junmyeon without another bullet wound.

When they finally pulled up at the mansion, their driver parked right next to another limo. Three men were clustered next to it, smoking cigarettes. The one with bleached blond hair looked over as the door opened.

“There you are. I was starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost on the roads.” He said, embracing Junmyeon as he got out.

“No, just a little traffic.” Junmyeon clapped Luhan on the back, turning him to face the limo. Ten was the next one out and helped Minseok clamber out onto the gravel driveway. Her ankles wobbled for a moment on the uneven surface in her heels, but she managed to stand straight and tall. “This is the Ghost, and his partner the Cat.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Luhan purred, shaking Minseok’s hand. She saw fire flash in Junmyeon’s eyes and quickly let go of Luhan’s hand.

“And this is Taeyong, and Jaehyun, from NCT.” Junmyeon gestured at the two men who had finally made their way out. Yifan was the last one out, towering over all of them.

“So this is the Cat.” A man with a swoop of black hair cocked his head to one side, observing her. “I’m Tao.”

“Kyungsoo.” The other man, whose brown hair was cropped close to the scalp, gave them a perfunctory wave. She nodded at them respectfully, clinging close to Ten.

“Well, if everyone’s been introduced now, let’s go inside.” Yifan gestured towards the mansion, which was lit up like a Christmas tree. Ten offered his arm to Minseok and she clung to him gratefully, picking her way across carefully. As she stepped, her purse clanked.

“What do you have in there?” Ten asked.

“It’s my lock picks. I might have to put some of them in your jacket so I don’t make so much noise.” She snuck a peek back at Junmyeon, who was walking with Tao. She would have much rather been on his arm, but Ten was her partner for the evening and she would play her part.

Once they were inside, Minseok felt the weight of the job land on her shoulders. This was it, they were really there. Junmyeon had instructed them to mingle for forty-five minutes before making their way to the office. She had a feeling it would be the longest forty-five minutes of her life.

“Suho, Luhan, it’s good to see you.” A man said, walking up to them with a glass of red wine held between delicate fingers. “Kris, Jaehyunsoo, Tao.” He nodded to them, before turning his gaze to Minseok and the NCT men. “And who are they?”

“Members of NCT, who have recently joined our organization.” Yifan said smoothly, stepping forward to make the introductions. “Taeyong and Jaehyun, and the Ghost and the Cat.”

“The Ghost I have heard of, but you, I have not.” He flicked his eyes towards Minseok. She felt a little like a bug under a microscope. She stared back, trying to hold her gaze level. He was paler than the rest of them, a shock of black hair a contrast to his smooth face.

“A good thief is a thief you’ve never heard of.” She managed to say.

“A thief, hm?” He looked her up and down. “Glad I won’t have to worry about you stealing anything tonight. Nowhere to keep it.” With that, he walked away to greet the next group of people that came in. Minseok let go of the breath she’d been holding, sagging into Ten.

“You did very well, Minseok,” Yifan said softly.

“Who was that?” She asked, looking up at him.

“Leeteuk, the owner of the mansion.” Yifan snorted. “Cocky bastard.”

“I should have stolen his watch on principle,” she muttered.

“Let’s mingle, come along.” Tao ushered them farther into the ballroom, where glittering people were standing in clusters, drinking champagne or red wine the color of garnets. Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Ten looked as starstruck as she did looking at the ballroom.

In keeping with their cover as a couple, Minseok and Ten were holding hands. It was more of a comfort thing than making themselves look like a couple, if Minseok was honest. She felt her kinship with Ten as strongly as she did with Jongdae.

“I’ll get us some drinks.” She murmured in his ear. She didn’t want to drink anything, but having a glass in her hand would at least make her feel better. She crossed the room towards the drink table, feeling eyes fall upon her from all around the room. She was a stranger, an oddity. She didn’t belong and they knew it.

As she selected a champagne flute for herself and a glass of red wine for Ten, she felt a hand fall on the small of her back. She stiffened immediately, turning to see who was touching her. Luhan grinned at her, a playful boy’s smile that would have worked on her if she wasn’t so completely under Junmyeon’s spell.

“So, how long have you and the Ghost been together?” He asked, leaning casually against the table.

“Not long.” It wasn’t a lie in the strictest sense of the word.

“I would guess that means you aren’t that attached then.” He ran one finger up her bare arm and she shivered. “Low level assassin like that, not worth your time.”

“I’d consider him a rather high-level assassin.” She felt herself ruffling up in defense of Ten. Everyone knew the Ghost. If you didn’t, you didn’t know anything. He might as well have been the boogeyman of the Underworld, even if NCT wasn’t a big gang.

“High, low, doesn’t matter. I’m a high-level boss, and he is not.” He touched the collar and the padlock. “Don’t collar yourself for him.”

“Everything all right, Minseok?” Junmyeon appeared at her side, his teeth gritted and shoulders tensed.

“Yes, it’s all right.” She said a little breathlessly. “I was just getting some wine for Ten.”

“On your way.” He ushered her away from the table, but he was standing so close to her, her body brushed against his as she left. She was sure it had been his intent.

“God, the testosterone in this room is strangling me,” she said to Ten when she returned to the safety of his side. He snorted, taking the red wine from her.

“You’re telling me. Taeyong’s acting like a peacock over there.” He gestured towards the man Taeyong seemed to be having a rather heated discussion with.

“Oh, no.” She looked back at the drinks table and saw the way Junmyeon was looking at Luhan. “That’s not going to end well.”

“Let’s walk.” She rested her hand in the crook of his elbow and they both tried to look as expensive as everyone else in the room. They walked the perimeter of the room, watching the other people. Minseok made note of where the hallway they were going to take was. There was a curtain hanging over it, but it wouldn’t be hard to slip through unnoticed.

The two of them screeched to a sudden stop when a man emerged from the crowd right in front of them, blocking their path.

“My apologies,” he said, bowing slightly to her. “I needed a little air myself.”

“No harm done.” The full flute of champagne in her hand hadn’t spilled, a testament to Ten’s steadying grip. He’d drained half the glass of wine, probably because he had a better tolerance than she did.

“I haven’t seen either of you at one of these parties before.” His eyes reminded Minseok of a cat, all sharp and angular.

“We’re here with EXO,” Minseok said. “I’m the Cat. This is the Ghost. We’re new to the organization.”

“The Cat, mm? That’s what people call me sometimes.” He laughed. “I’m Eunhyuk.”

“I can see you being a cat.” Minseok felt Ten’s hand slide around to her back, two taps telling her their forty-five minutes were almost up.

“Enjoy the party.” He gave them another smile and then faded back into the crowd. As nice as he’d been, she still got bad vibes from him. Or maybe it was just the fact that she was about to go upstairs and rob the owner of the house.

“Let’s go, the hallway is that way.” She murmured, abandoning her glass of champagne on a nearby table. They crossed the room casually, slipping behind the velvet curtain one after another. It was dark in the hallway, but Minseok could just see the shoes of a guard standing halfway up the staircase from where they were.

“Dumbwaiter?” Ten whispered. Of course, as soon as they checked that, it became obvious that Minseok wouldn’t be able to fit. They heard footsteps behind them and quickly ducked into the room to their right. It appeared to be a small sitting room of some sort, with a window out onto the patio.

“What do we do now?” Ten asked when the footsteps passed. Rather than answer, she opened the window and stuck her head out. Plants grew up the side of the mansion, so thick she couldn’t see the paint underneath. Giving one an experimental tug, she sighed.

“How good are you at climbing?”

\--

“Have I mentioned how much I hate you?” Ten hissed, struggling to find a foothold in the vines.

“Hey, at least you get to keep your clothes on!” She hissed back. She’d had to strip off her dress or risk it getting shredded on the way up. In nothing but her underwear, with her purse slung around her neck, she was climbing the stupid wall and as far as she was concerned, Ten could suck it.

“Are you even sure we’re going to be able to get in through the window?”

“I’m sure. Save your breath for the climbing.” She was nimbler than she looked, thanks to a childhood spent climbing trees. She also wasn’t afraid of heights, which was making the four story climb slightly less terrifying.

The vine under Ten’s foot ripped and he swung loose for a heartstopping moment. “Shit.” He scrabbled for another foothold, pulling himself up after her.

“God, Junmyeon better pay me so well for this.” With a final pull of her aching arms, she reached the fourth story window. She looped one arm through the thickest part of the vines and used her other hand to pull the lock pick out of her bag. With Ten dangling precariously below her and the prospect of being discovered, she worked quickly and messily, not bothering to disguise the way she’d jimmied the lock. All that mattered was getting inside before one of them fell. Pulling the window open, she heaved herself inside, scratching her midsection on the sill on her way. She landed on the floor, pressing one hand to her burning stomach before turning to help Ten in. He entered slightly more gracefully than she did and they sat under the window to catch their breath and listen for a while.

When all was silent and Minseok had decided it was safe to move, they crept out into the hallway. No one else was on the floor, making it easy to find the office. Of course, it was locked. This time Minseok knelt and took her time opening the lock without damaging the outer metal, while Ten, pistol drawn, watched the hall to make sure no one was coming.

Once they were inside the office, Minseok let herself breathe a little. The door locked behind them and no one else seemed to be anywhere nearby.

“Where’s the safe?” Ten asked, scanning the dimly lit office.

“My guess is behind that.” She pointed at the huge portrait over the fireplace. And when he helped her lift it off, there it was. “Typical.” She managed to suppress an eye roll, her fingers starting to work over the lock.

“You memorized the combination?”

“I’m a thief, Tennie. This is my job.” She heard the last tumbler click and the door opened. “Jackpot.”

She opened the door and marveled at the sight. It was stuffed full of money, jewelry, and guns. But she wasn’t there for any of that, as much as her fingers ached to take something pretty for Jongdae. Junmyeon had told her to get the key and only the key. But what was it? She didn’t have time to sift through the papers in the back or through the jewelry to see if it was a physical key.

“Is that it?” He used the flashlight on his phone to shine a light on the safe, revealing a flashdrive dangling from a hook on the side.

“I’d bet my life on it.” She snatched it and stuffed it in her bag. “Let’s get out of here.” They had just rehung the painting when they heard footsteps on the carpet down the hall. They exchanged a terrified glance and scrambled apart. Minseok fit herself under the desk, biting down on her fist to muffle her breathing. Ten stationed himself behind the door, gun held tight in his hand. Anyone who came in was going to die before they took more than two steps inside.

The footsteps shuffled down the hall and stopped just outside the door. Minseok bit down harder, praying that she would see Jongdae again. The doorknob jiggled and then there was silence. Satisfied that all was in order, the footsteps shuffled down the hall again and down the stairs. Minseok relaxed, the tension leaking out of her body.

“Let’s get the _fuck_ out of here,” Ten said, pulling her out from under the desk.

“Agreed.” They tiptoed down the hall and back to the window they’d left open. Ten went down first, leaving Minseok to close the window with a small loop of wire before climbing down.

She’d always found the descent to be harder. Not only could she not see where she was going, but she usually had some kind of loot on her, and wanting to deliver it made her hasty. She scratched her palms bloody on the vines and her feet were going to be a mess when she hit the ground. Ten made it down first and held his arms out to catch her. She dropped the last few feet into his arms with a grunt, then pulled him back inside the study they’d left from.

“I never, ever want to do that again,” Ten said, leaning over with his hands on his knees. “My heart can’t take it.”

“Mine either.” Quickly, she slipped back into her dress, only slightly wrinkled from the excursion, and pulled her heels on over her bloody feet. She’d just straightened up and gone over to hug Ten when she heard the curtain over the hallway pulled back and advancing footsteps. Without giving herself much time to think about it, she grabbed Ten by the head and kissed him hard. He let out a squeak of surprise against her mouth but when the door flew open and the light came on, they were able to look like a couple caught making out, not a pair of thieves trying to recover.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Eunhyuk’s mouth curled into a smirk and he looked more like a cat than ever. “But you’re not allowed to be back here.” Minseok dropped her head, acting like she was blushing, while Ten shrugged.

“Sorry, but when the Cat asks, I can’t say no.” One arm looped around her waist, he sauntered past Eunhyuk, who watched them with sharp eyes as they went.

“I’m going to puke, I’m going to puke, I’m going to puke,” Minseok chanted as they made their way towards Junmyeon and Yifan.

“I’m not that bad of a kisser.” Ten sounded almost offended.

“That’s not what I meant. Conceited.” She wondered why they were both looking at her like that until she glanced at Ten and realized he had lipstick smeared on him. “We look like a mess.”

“We are a mess. Let’s get a move on.” He snagged a napkin off a table as they went by, wiping his mouth clean. When he was done, he handed it to her. She had just finished cleaning her face when they arrived at Junmyeon and Yifan.

“Everything in order?” Yifan asked calmly.

“Everything is as it should be.” Minseok’s knees shook and she grabbed at Ten to hold herself up, hissing when it scraped the cuts on her hands.

“Time for us to go.” Junmyeon made a signal at Tao, who’d been standing with Taeyong and Jaehyun. Tao in turn made one to Kyungsoo and Luhan. The men started to move towards the door, Taeyong and Jaehyun looking slightly confused but following.

“I’ll say our goodbyes. Get them outside,” Yifan said, moving away.

“Come on Minseok.” Ten and Junmyeon had to help move her outside. She probably looked like she’d had too much to drink, which was a good enough excuse for her.

Minseok took huge gulps of fresh air once she was outside, trying to calm herself down. She was too wired, too filled with adrenaline to relax.

“Shh, it’ll be all right Minseok.” Junmyeon said soothingly, petting her hair gently. “I’ll take you home and everything will be all right.” He turned to Ten, eyes still soft from looking at Minseok. “Get her in the limo, all right? There should be a blanket somewhere, get her wrapped up.”

“Got it.” Ten helped her into the limo and the first thing she did was take off her heels. The insides were stained with blood from her cut up feet. “Oh Minseok, we’re a mess.”

“But we did it, Ghostie.” Her teeth chattered together. “We did it.”

“Yes, we did, god Minseok, we did it.” He laughed and it sounded almost hysterical. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one feeling the strain.

Jaehyun and Taeyong were the next to come in, taking one look at Minseok and giving her space. “Are you all right?” Taeyong asked, his voice gentle and shoulders relaxed for the first time.

“She’ll be all right. I think it’s too much adrenaline,” Ten replied, rubbing her knuckles gently. Finally, Junmyeon and Yifan entered the limo, shutting the door behind them.

“Driver? Speed,” Yifan said through the divider before finding the blanket and tossing it to Ten. He wrapped Minseok in it as the driver took off, gravel spraying from the tires. The other limo followed them out.

“I’ve got her.” Junmyeon hauled the blanket wrapped Minseok onto his lap, where she made a soft snuffling noise and buried her face in his neck. “You feel like a little hummingbird, kitten.”

“I can’t breathe,” Minseok wheezed.

“Try to breathe through your nose and out through your mouth, slowly,” Taeyong supplied. Junmyeon raised one eyebrow but nodded gratefully.

“What happened?” Junmyeon asked Ten, adjusting the way he was holding Minseok so she was resting more comfortable against his shoulder.

“We were planning on the stairs or the dumbwaiter, but when they wouldn’t work, we climbed the vines on the outside of the building.” Ten flexed his hands, feeling where the vines had bit into his palms. “Then we got inside and she picked the lock on the office, and we got the flashdrive. Someone surprised us but they didn’t come in so we climbed back down, and then Eunhyuk found us in the study so she pretended we had been kissing in there.”

“That’s my smart girl.” Junmyeon planted a kiss on her forehead. “Eunhyuk’s loyalty has been in question lately. I don’t think he’ll say anything about finding you in there.”

“You did it, Tennie.” Taeyong clapped him on the back and he groaned.

“God, I’m in so much pain. I never thought I’d have to haul my ass up and down a four story building.” Ten rolled his shoulders, feeling the ache growing in them.

“It’ll be well worth it, trust me,” Yifan said. “We made the right decision in bringing you all in. You’ll be useful to us in the coming days.”

“Junmyeon?” Minseok murmured softly, untucking her face from the blanket.

“Yes kitten?” He looked at her attentively.

“You owe me so bad.” Then she tucked her face back where it was and tried to let her body rest.

\--

Both limos stopped at the penthouse. Junmyeon carried Minseok inside since she still wasn’t steady enough to walk. They all crowded into the same elevator; the NCT men looked a little uncomfortable at the close contact.

Once they were upstairs, Junmyeon sat down on the couch with Minseok in his lap. She had managed to give him the flash drive and he produced it for them. “This, gentlemen, is our key to taking down SuJu, here in Korea and in China. And it’s all thanks to our Cat and our Ghost.” There was a round of whoops and scattered claps. Minseok poked her head out of the blanket and noticed that Luhan had an eye that was rapidly swelling and turning purple. On a hunch, she glanced down at Junmyeon’s hand. Sure enough, his knuckles looked red and angry from the impact. She couldn’t bring herself to be too angry.

Thankfully, the others didn’t stick around too long. Yifan took the NCT men back to their apartment in the limo, and the other EXO members went in the other limo. As soon as they were gone, Junmyeon carried her into the bedroom, settling her on the bed. First he unlocked the heavy collar from around her neck, then took her out of her dress. Carefully, lovingly, he cleaned the cuts on her feet and her palms, bandaging the ones that needed it. He rubbed antiseptic ointment on the scrape on her belly, kissing it gently. He redressed her in the softest shirt he could find, something that would feel good on her skin. Then he combed out her hair for her, loosening the curls. By the time he was done, she was relaxed and exhausted.

“Thank you, oppa,” she said, reaching out for him with bandaged hands. He pulled her into his lap, tucking her under his chin.

“You are the most incredible woman I know, Minseok. You climbed four stories on _vines_.”

“You gave me a job, and I did it.” She kissed his bare chest, the closest thing to her. “And you punched Luhan.”

“He put his hands on you. I couldn’t help myself.”

“I appreciate your protectiveness.” She chuckled, curling up tighter in his arms. “I’m amazing.”

“Yes, you are kitten. Now lie down, I’m going to finish getting ready for bed and then we’ll sleep, all right?”

“Okay.” She was already pretty drowsy from being rocked all the way home. She slipped into the silk sheets, watching him undress and take out his earrings. He had a particular ritual that she was starting to learn. She expected she’d spend many more nights watching him do it.

Finally, he joined her in the bed, cuddling her right up against him. She let out a contented sigh, exhaustion starting to drag her down. She could feel him rubbing her back gently and that only added to her sleepiness.

“I’m yours, kitten. Body and soul,” he murmured.

“And I’m yours,” she mumbled back against his skin.

\--

Minseok dropped her bag by the door, leaning against the wall as she pulled her boots off. She was dusty and tired and she smelled like airplane. Junmyeon was too paranoid to let them fly back directly into Seoul so they’d had to land somewhere else and take a car back to the city. It had taken more time than she was capable of giving.

As she moved farther into the penthouse, she heard the squeak of the bedsprings and laughter. One eyebrow raised, she opened the bedroom door, peeking inside. She quickly cracked up and bent over laughing at what she saw.

“Minseok!” Jongdae called, bouncing up and down on the bed. He and Junmyeon were jumping on the bed like little kids.

“What are you doing to my beautiful bed? I was going to get in it.” Minseok sighed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. As much as she appreciated that her brother was getting along better with Junmyeon, she still wanted to come home to peace and quiet.

“No, you’re not, we’re going to dinner. Surprise!” Junmyeon jumped off the bed to give her a kiss.

“Junmyeon, I stink like airplane and stale air.” She shook her head. “No, I’m showering and going to bed.”

“Noona,” Jongdae whined, putting her hands under her chin. “Please? You’ve been gone for so long.”

“I hate you both.” Minseok sighed. “Fine, fine. Just let me shower first.” She shooed Jongdae out of the room, leaving her alone with Junmyeon.

“How’d it go?” He asked as she stripped off her dusty clothes.

“I’m never flying into that dinky ass airport again. I’d rather fly into Seoul and risk getting shot at.”

“Please don’t joke about that.” There had been two separate attempts on Minseok’s life in the last six months and it made him nervous to think about.

“It went well. Ten never misses.” In the months following their excursion to Leeteuk’s mansion, they’d been systematically wiping out SuJu. Junmyeon had leaked the names and addresses of the top leaders in China to the Chinese police; they’d been arrested immediately.

It didn’t take Leeteuk long to figure out who had stolen the information and who was hunting them down. He’d made several assassination attempts of varying success. A bomb had been planted in the NCT apartment that had cost Taeyong his sight in his right eye and put Mark out of commission permanently. His nerves had been completely shot by the attack and Junmyeon had pulled him off the front line immediately, placing him with Yifan on the management side of things. Two different gunmen had tried to kill Minseok; the first one had missed completely and then run, the second had shot her in the shoulder because she moved at the last second. Because it had gone all the way through, she’d had to go to the hospital to be patched up.

After that, Junmyeon had forced her to retreat to one of his other residences with Jongdae, with Ten and Johnny for protection. Once they were safely squirreled away, the five leaders of EXO had put all their energy into finding and eliminating Leeteuk. It had been quick and painless, from what Luhan had told her. Although Luhan was the most likely to lie to her about things like that. She didn’t like the bloodshed that came along with this, but securing her own safety and her future with Junmyeon was more important.

Her trip to Japan with Ten and Jaehyun had been to locate and wipe out the last remaining leader. They called these trips ice and swipes. Jaehyun planned their entry route, took care of the security systems and cameras, Ten would eliminate the target, and Minseok would take anything of value, whether it was jewelry, money, or more information on the remaining leaders. Only one remained out there still; the others were in prison or dead.

“So Kyuhyun is dead?”

“As a doornail. We searched where he was staying, nothing of interest.” She stretched, feeling her spine pop in a few places. “Do we really have to go out to dinner?”

“We could order in if you’re that tired.”

“Mm, I knew there was a reason I loved you.” She held him by the face and kissed him.

“Please don’t do that while you’re naked or I’ll be forced to defile you with your brother in the next room.”

“All right, I’m showering. You order the food.” She absolutely loved taking showers when she’d gotten back from one of these trips. There wasn’t a shower on this planet like the one in the penthouse, not with that kind of water pressure. She washed all the dust and travel out of her hair and off her body. She had her own soap at the penthouse, but she always preferred to use Junmyeon’s if she’d been gone a while. The smell made her feel more at home, helped her relax after the job.

Once she was dressed in something comfortable, she rejoined the group out in the living room. The food had already arrived because she’d taken her sweet time in the shower. She settled on the couch next to Junmyeon, accepting the bowl he passed her. He knew her well enough to have ordered for her and portioned it out already.

“So, noona, how was your trip?” Jongdae asked, lifting a piece of meat to her lips with her chopsticks.

“If I have to go on one more trip with Jaehyun, I swear I’ll strangle him.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “He’s the biggest pain to travel with.” He was cunning, and devious, but traveling with him was a nightmare.

“You’re just upset that it’s not you and Ten.” He made kissy noises at Minseok. Her brother knew how much Minseok adored Ten and preferred to work only with him and teased her incessantly about it.

“Buzz off, Jongdae,” Minseok grumbled, turning her attention back to her food.

“It’s a good thing I’m not a jealous man, kitten.” Junmyeon nudged her gently with his shoulder.

“Not jealous? I seem to remember you giving Luhan a black eye a few months ago.” Minseok snorted.

“That was different. We’d just started dating. And Ten is gay.”

“A fact that my brother seems to forget all the time.”

Minseok managed to shift the conversation to something slightly less embarrassing and something that didn’t have anything to do with her work. Thankfully when they were done eating, Jongdae left to let her rest. She lounged on the couch, her head in Junmyeon’s lap. He was combing his fingers through her hair, lulling her to sleep. She’d started growing her hair out and he greatly appreciated the change, if only because he liked the handhold.

She started to doze off in his lap, exhaustion catching up quickly. Junmyeon carried her into their bedroom and helped dress her in a pair of comfortable pajamas, then tucked her in.

“It’s over,” she mumbled when he finally got under the covers with her. “It’s really over now.”

“We got them all, kitten. And I’m never sending you on a job again. You’re officially retired.”

“But who is better than me?”

“Doesn’t matter if they’re better. Just as long as they’re good, and they aren’t you. I can’t risk you anymore.” He nuzzled his face into her neck, pressing a gentle kiss there.

“Fine, fine.” She rolled onto her belly, stuffing her face into the pillow. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Go to sleep.”


End file.
